The Olympic high street makeover: Just in time for the Games round the corner, shops get a new look that's more Notting Hill than EastEnders
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+ c9 _1 _: |, S1 B) stvb now,tvbnow,bttvbBy Rosie Taylor
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A few months ago it was just an anonymous street of tatty shop fronts – a mishmash of broken signs, tasteless logos, peeling paint and grubby brickwork.3 n6 s' p, d o1 b# |8 r! n$ A3 L
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But Leyton High Road, just round the corner from the Olympic Park, has undergone a remarkable transformation.- N2 {& C; N6 F* i
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Instead of the broken windows and garish shopfronts is a parade more typical of Chelsea or Notting Hill than the East End of London.0 R6 T; c( j7 X1 E n \
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Tatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics www.tvboxnow.com2 W1 k3 i0 `& ^8 ]
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Passers-by admire the shopfronts of Leyton High Road after the makeover which will be completed within the next few weeks Each shop, restaurant or cafe has been repainted using a sophisticated palette of deep reds, pastel greens, purples and browns.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb1 P: ~$ J) h% L( W
" {8 {# R$ I6 K! A8 ~; `Shop names in charmless neon or plastic have been replaced with hand-painted signs adorned with elegant calligraphy or old-fashioned metal lettering.
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Even the local KFC has had its ugly plastic fascia replaced with a sophisticated dark red paint job, a smaller, subtler logo, and a smart new awning.公仔箱論壇1 y) X; X. l6 r
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As part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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* U4 \, D- i6 A) u( n. }tvb now,tvbnow,bttvbMost have also been fitted with internal shutters – sitting just within the windows rather than outside them – so the shopfronts can stay lit up at night. www.tvboxnow.com7 j: D! { E; \' k8 k. \
) a/ C* j0 n# }/ f- X+ [7 O' S公仔箱論壇The refurbishment was carried out as part of a half-a-million-pound project to spruce up businesses in the Leyton area before the Olympics.www.tvboxnow.com- V5 H4 `1 a: C; j9 k) ?
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It is being funded by a £475,000 grant from the Government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund as well as money from Waltham Forest Council.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。" |$ `5 K0 k8 M1 U8 p5 V, O
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Grubby: Before the clean-up the street was lined with broken signs and dirty awnings - not the face of Britain officials would want to show the incoming tourists
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8 |' I, F: J; j4 s$ Vwww.tvboxnow.comClean: The shop facades on Leyton High Road have been much improved, but it came at a price. The re-decoration of the street cost £475,000
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A plastic sign advertises sale prices at the women's fashion shop and the KFC branch has a standard full-glass front) A0 ]' D% }! v- m! X9 V
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7 c. f8 Y) z5 Z& x2 [' K公仔箱論壇No more plastic signs for the bridal shop, the pawnbrokers has been re-painted and and even the KFC is looking more high end than East End
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1 Z( Z, V9 l: E4 t8 e1 Xwww.tvboxnow.comLast night shopkeepers expressed their delight with the results. Panayiota Philippou, who manages Princess evening wear and bridal boutique with daughter Theodoula, said: ‘The street is much nicer now.
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‘People can window shop and trade has picked up. tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb5 v2 k& i* X% j+ s4 l: i
4 E8 ?* @, A& o6 i1 g2 k% V公仔箱論壇‘Having the shutter inside means people can see in the window all the time, which is like a 24/7 advert for us.’ % V# ^% Z* |0 C: h( g9 m
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Shamima Bung, owner of Blackwell’s newsagents, was also pleased with the transformation.
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‘The area’s definitely gone up market. The high street looks a lot better...now it is a matter of keeping it this way.’tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb0 U# L9 g3 w7 k' I: L( ^
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But Mrs Bung said she had been reluctant to replace her shutters.
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‘The inside shutters look nice but I do go home worrying if I’ll still have a window in the morning,’ she admitted. ‘After all this is East London, not Kensington.’
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i1 ~- x5 m- ?, z4 c公仔箱論壇A hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformationwww.tvboxnow.com) F" O. L# p, D7 N
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Leyton High Road has been given a touch of Kensington with paint and new signs - even the bus stop commercial is more inviting than before
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. k' l% ^1 _& z! W# J8 H( q( {TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。 TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。& \9 J; l4 H' j1 o( v
The project has been funded by Government¿s Working Neighbourhoods Fund and Waltham Forest Council. Here is a green grocers on a corner of the High Road before...
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... and after it has been given an Olympic makeover with many shops now sporting internal shutters so the shopfronts can stay lit up at night* ]7 Y) w, k5 ]1 Z6 q7 W0 p
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Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21.
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( g5 S( r6 W7 u. OTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Chris Robbins, leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: ‘This stretch of Leyton is a gateway to the Games. It will be on display to the world in July and we want our streets, homes and businesses to do us proud. This was a fantastic opportunity to smarten up Leyton.’www.tvboxnow.com/ \8 K2 k% a- M" e9 J! l0 O
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And it is not just the shops which have had a makeover.
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The pavements have been cleaned, the street signs replaced with modern ones and the lamps given a contemporary update.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。' U8 S& T" b4 \' @+ N3 W
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The walls of the flats above the shops, which were a dirty brown, have been jet-washed back to their original sandy colour, with some painted in bright shades to complement the shopfronts below.公仔箱論壇$ ?1 P4 H. I8 Z9 O/ S* Y
& B! B1 m, Y) o' c6 ktvb now,tvbnow,bttvbUnsightly satellite dishes have been moved, and the mass of burglar alarms and CCTV cameras on the walls above each shop has been tidied up. 5 N, t5 a2 Z3 c z" e
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Gordon Bennett, of Bennett Developers, one of four contractors on the project said: ‘We have up to 22 men working ten hours a day, including weekends, to get the work finished in time. The whole street looks cleaner.’TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。" {" }( G& g: R, G6 x
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