The council has begun asking for opinions on the redevelopment of the Northern Olympic Fringe area

The council is now asking for opinions on sites within an area known as the Northern Olympic Fringe, which spans from Lea Bridge Road to Maryland Station.

It also includes the Lea Bridge area, which incorporates sites including the former Thames Water site, the ice rink site and Lea Valley Park.

Members of the public are being asked to tell the council what they think should be done with the sites in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and beyond.

A consultation document released on July 8 states: “The Lea Valley was once a focus of industrial activity.

“However the decline in the manufacturing industry in the late 20th century resulted in a neglected and degraded landscape which now acts as a barrier between the local communities and the open space.”

The aim is to set out a masterplan that will reshape the area, including leisure facilities, green spaces and conservation areas and the consultation is set to close on August 28.

A total of seven prospective sites for regeneration are specified and suggestions include the reopening of Lea Bridge Station, closed down in 1985.

Lea Bridge ward councillor Afzal Akram said: “I think the consultation is necessary as unless we plan these things, they become uncontrollable.

“We've got to meet the needs of the Leyton marshes and the wildlife and the needs of the growing population.”

He added that because the population has increased, it could now be viable to reopen Lea Bridge Station.

Cllr Akram said: “It's a balancing act and the way we've got to do it is through consultation.”

Other suggestions put forward within the consultation include developing a leisure attraction on the Essex Wharf site and creating a “park road” in Lea Bridge Road.

Cabinet member for enterprise and investment Cllr Terry Wheeler said: “These proposals represent the very start of what is undeniably one of the most exciting periods in the history of Leyton and the Walthamstow borders.

“Hosting the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It isn’t happening nearby, it’s happening here - so we have to take our chance to unlock these opportunities and get exactly what we want out of it.”

The cost of the new development is still unknown and the council has said the way it will be funded depends on the outcome of the consultation.

No private sector partners have yet been identified and a further consultation is planned for next year, once the authority has chosen its "preferred option".

The majority of the schemes outlined in the consultation are not intended to be completed before the 2012 Olympics and refer to how the land will look after the Games conclude.

Final decisions each site are to be "based on a long-term, rigorous engagement process", which will be open to public scrutiny.

Your thoughts

• Rosaline Adegoke, 41, a chef, of Lea Bridge Road, Leyton
• “There needs to be more activity and more shops for people to rush in and just grab a couple of things.

  “We also need better public transport links.”

• Rukhsana Hayat, 42, of Maynard Road, Walthamstow, who works at a school for children with special needs
• “There should be more youth activity brought in – maybe a new youth centre to get the kids involved with sport.

  “At the moment, you get lots of kids just hanging around.”

• Jay Khan, 22, a graphic designer, of Marconi Road, Leyton
• “The only thing that I would want would be better public transport.

  “We need better links to central London."