The Silvertown Quay consortium, which includes contractor Kajima and regeneration fund Igloo, was picked as preferred bidder by the London Development Agency last week.
The team beat off four other teams to win the 10-year mixed-use scheme in east London. These were led by St George, Barratt and Bellway, Taylor Woodrow, and Wimpey and Countryside Properties.
The scheme will include 3000 homes, and possibly Sir Terry Farrell's National Aquarium, which he first suggested for the site as part of a lottery bid in 1996.
The scheme is will also include shops, a hotel, offices, a school and community buildings.
Farrell is one of five architects in the Silvertown Quay team – the others are Paskin Kyriakides Sands, Maccreanor Lavington, Scott Brownrigg + Turner and Jestico + Whiles.
The winning team hinted that it may call on the resources of some of the losing bidders for the scheme.
A spokesperson said: "We were the only consortium without a housebuilder in our team, so there is the possibility of co-opting some of their plans."