West Ham United Football Club (WHUFC) has been announced as the Olympic Park Legacy Company's (OPLC) preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium.

OPLC chair Baroness Ford said the Premier League club's bid – developed in partnership with Newham Council – received "unanimous" approval. Under the plans put forward by WHUFC and the local authority, the stadium would retain its athletics provision after the 2012 Games.

Westfield, concert promoter Live Nation, Essex County Cricket Club and the University of East London are also part of the successful bid. Ford said: "The board has made a clear and unanimous recommendation to select West Ham United and the London Borough of Newham as the preferred long-term tenant.

"We are confident that this represents the very best legacy for the stadium." WHUFC vice chair Karren Brady said: "We have been working on this project for some time now and are just at the starting line of the race to make this a stadium that will really make the nation proud."

Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales said: "We will make the stadium a magnet for visitors across Britain, Europe and the world, to view and participate in a wide range of sport and entertainment fixtures." WHUFC/Newham Council's bid was selected ahead of a rival submission by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC)/AEG. A third option – a 25,000 mixed-use venue – was also considered by the OPLC.

THFC/AEG's bid was centred around demolishing the Olympic Stadium and building a 60,000-seat venue on the site, as well as revamping Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium. The OPLC's recommendation will now go before the government and mayor Boris Johnson, who will take the final decision on the future use of the venue.

In a joint statement, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and communities secretary Eric Pickles said: "We will look through [the OPLC's] recommendation in detail before coming to our own decision. "We aim to make a formal announcement to Parliament shortly."