ENFIELD Council is in talks with City Hall about plans to transform the east side of Enfield and surrounding boroughs into a major area of economic growth, business, and tourism.

Senior politicians are pushing Mayor of London Boris Johnson to throw his weight behind a Regional Growth Fund bid to overhaul the infrastructure around Edmonton, making the area attractive to investors and visitors alike.

The council wants the east of Enfield to be recognised as a strategically important gateway to London, linking into significant resources being directed at the Upper Lee Valley and M11 corridors.

Councillor Del Goddard, who is in charge of regeneration on the council, said companies already spread their businesses along the “M11 corridor” between Cambridge and north London, but the links have in the past been hidden and gone unrecognised.

He said: “People are starting to realise this and the Mayor has come to realise this and that's why discussions are going on.

“We believe the right strategy is to look at Upper Lee and north London together. You can't talk about small areas and make special zones.”

The Government announced a host of “enterprise zones” in its latest budget and Mr Johnson is developing two “Mayoral Development Corporations” for Tottenham and around the Olympic Park in east London.

But senior figures in Enfield want to steer away from small scale development boost in favour of long-term plans for Enfield, surrounding boroughs, and along the Upper Lee Valley area.

Cllr Goddard said: “There are issues around an Enterprise Zone - they are quite small areas and you can end up with economic displacement.

“The discussions are in the context of the Upper Lee Opportunity Plan, and the five boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington are building a regional growth fund bid.

“We are working on the Government to try to persuade them there's a need.”

Central to the thoughts is the Edmonton Green Shopping Centre, which is in the heart of Enfield's most deprived ward.

Andy Love, MP for Edmonton, was among a group of senior Enfield politicians and businessmen who helped lay the first bricks of a new Travelodge due to open later this year in Edmonton Green.

He said they hoped this would be a sign of things to come for the area and would help those holding talks see that private business had confidence in the future of Edmonton.

He said: “What's so good about this development is it's a clear signal of future investment going into Edmonton Green, and confidence in the future of Edmonton Green as a shopping centre and leisure attraction.

“I am confident the people who matter will recognise the advantages and that Edmonton Green has a great future because people are prepared to invest here.”

Mr Love, who was first elected as an MP in 1997, has seen the shopping centre transformed under the stewardship of private firm St Modwen, with plans for the renovation of the south mall underway and proposals to revamp the north mall on the horizon.

He stressed: “Enfield can't stand alone. We have go to work on a fully regional basis and a development corporation is really to address particular problems.

“We want to get the structure right. We are trying to attract the private sector to invest here, and creating the right structure is vital so the private sector can see the advantages for coming to this area.”

An ongoing problem the area has to contend with is an already overwhelmed train network, which detracts potential investors from the area.

Mr Love, who has long pushed for extra capacity and significant investment on the line, said Edmonton Green must find ways to link with the major development planned for the Meridian Water site in the south of his constituency.

He said talks were underway about a possible tram system being built to link the two sites and dramatically improve the transport links.

He added: “We are starting to think seriously how we are going to link up the two and we are talking about the possibility of a tram system.

“It would be a relatively inexpensive option, but it still requires major investment and needs the support of the Mayor of London.”

With the launch of the new Travelodge hotel, hopes are high that this will be the start of things to come for Edmonton and the east Enfield area.

Gary Morris, senior development manager for St Modwen, said this was the first major development for the centre in Edmonton Green since the onset of recession in 2008, and more plans including the renovation of the ageing malls were on the cards.

But he too pointed out that the transport links serving Edmonton need to be looked at, adding that studies show Edmonton Green station has more people passing through it than the recognised transport hub in Crewe.

A bid from the five boroughs to the Regional Growth Fund is still being developed, but should be submitted next month.

A share of £1.4 billion over the next three years is available to those who submit bids, with final decisions being made by a panel of Government ministers chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.