The scenic Undercliff Walk could be reopened to the public as part of the transformation of Brighton Marina.

The team responsible for the makeover of the western part of the marina says it is "passionately committed" to reopening the pathway, giving pedestrians and cyclists better access to the site.

Proposals to link the pathway to an ecologically-friendly Undercliff Park are among the early suggestions for improvements revealed at an exhibition opening to the public today.

Other ideas put forward include the building of a pedestrian bridge from the clifftop to a roof below and the replacement of the access roundabout with a Continental-style road layout which would allow pedestrians to wander freely across the whole site.

In May X-Leisure and Parkridge Estates, who between them run the marina, announced their intention to transform the disjointed mish-mash of buildings at the western marina.

Asda and McDonald's are likely to be knocked down and incorporated into new developments which could include residential, commercial and retail space.

Other areas in line for a facelift include the Asda car park and petrol station.

The facelift is a separate project to Brunswick Developments' £235 million skyscraper development but its designers hope both projects - and the one at Black Rock - will complement each other.

The latest stage of a six-month public consultation exercise is the week-long exhibition opening today.

The project is being managed by Explore Living, the development arm of international construction group Laing O'Rourke.

Project leader Jim Dennis said the appearance of large parts of the marina were crying out for improvement. "There's a huge opportunity to finish the job off properly," he said.

"We want to draw out local people's aspirations and concerns so that we can create the best possible design solutions for the area.

"We have a really passionate desire to work with the council to reopen the Undercliff and to work with English Nature to create a cliff-based park. We think there's a great opportunity there and we think we could do something really special with it.

"We know there are some key issues of concern locally, such as transport, the creation of public spaces, how we can make the environment more enjoyable for pedestrians and cyclists, respecting the cliff height and views from within and outside the marina.

"We also know people want to see the many unsatisfactory areas of this part of the marina improved and enhanced to allow the marina to become the attractive and exciting location it should be and we hope to be inspired by people's ideas."

The regeneration follows Brighton and Hove's adoption of a master plan for the marina in 2003. Sketches of what it entails are on display at the exhibition and show buildings towering above the cliff tops.

Mr Dennis said: "We don't think tall buildings should be built that close to the cliff at that height. It looks fundamentally wrong."

The exhibition is at the Brighton Marina Regeneration Project's information centre in the Village Square at the marina and will be open today between noon and 8pm and tomorrow between 10am and 4pm with the Explore Living team on hand to answer questions.

It will remain on display until July 21 between 10am and 4pm.

A second exhibition with more detailed design proposals is planned for September when further community input will be invited.

A planning application could be submitted at the end of the year and demolition work could start next year, with the project expected to take up to seven years.

The future of the Undercliff Walk is to be discussed by the council's environment committee on July 26.