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 EastEnders5.39.217.763 @4 {2 F/ `7 Q; Q# V* E$ P$ O
1 e; n. s, j7 w* U# R: C* LBy 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.
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But Leyton High Road, just round the corner from the Olympic Park, has undergone a remarkable transformation.
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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.5.39.217.76- ]: w# @! r4 R2 E2 m& }0 f# [
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Tatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb- c. v; w1 \" b5 I5 ^0 o% o& h
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# f4 Y$ h# t0 r' I1 R, tPassers-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.
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/ z! a1 s9 Q# ?4 j2 R# mShop 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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9 o3 j# f- R4 X8 y% ]: H, ?5.39.217.76Even 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.
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1 [! v3 a& c% i' X' \) d9 ?/ v! z5.39.217.76As part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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Most 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. 5.39.217.763 O, C* {4 ~; z# p$ z% M' c* U2 {: ]
+ r+ Q8 |, t2 T) I$ L5.39.217.76The refurbishment was carried out as part of a half-a-million-pound project to spruce up businesses in the Leyton area before the Olympics.
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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.5.39.217.76' {% [, J7 ^" e9 x/ p
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6 D; m' N( s) {, D# ~+ j5.39.217.76Grubby: 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 touristsTVBNOW 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。6 S ^& V6 Z5 Q& N. d7 r. x E8 w
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Clean: 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" P8 ~; h* V+ m1 N
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0 H# P8 p, g2 n. cA plastic sign advertises sale prices at the women's fashion shop and the KFC branch has a standard full-glass front5.39.217.76, l# z. u( c* E3 A- T
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 R6 ]0 L F4 l W" }! n. P* q2 q

0 j0 d) A$ A+ D& kTVBNOW 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。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; T6 w4 N) Y/ ^ X; y. U5 T2 ^ V
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Last 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,bttvb" V# M+ r, L6 v
( T2 \0 ]" k+ L: K. [- y: ATVBNOW 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。‘Having the shutter inside means people can see in the window all the time, which is like a 24/7 advert for us.’ tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb- Q* ~% ^) l; k$ f" {" @
. _1 ?6 g9 p/ k- I& w0 d2 e5.39.217.76Shamima Bung, owner of Blackwell’s newsagents, was also pleased with the transformation.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。0 b! K" D- @8 q2 u
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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.’' b* y: h* W5 p
Z& n' S4 O* ITVBNOW 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。But Mrs Bung said she had been reluctant to replace her shutters.
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8 e9 n9 t+ u7 u6 z1 l‘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.’ tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb& `% N# x- H8 k, {, C0 @: l+ ]! [
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8 H! g2 F; v. { p" WA hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformation2 r/ G' k7 ^" q( k
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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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{7 A5 p% _. v5 T公仔箱論壇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...公仔箱論壇3 X N! u D1 K1 h# C* T
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; k4 F3 |3 [. v' q8 ^% l" Y! c... 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
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. k' I& q% v: I# x$ kTVBNOW 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。Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21.
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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.’
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And it is not just the shops which have had a makeover. 5.39.217.762 W' t" m2 H+ t0 [3 Z
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The pavements have been cleaned, the street signs replaced with modern ones and the lamps given a contemporary update.5.39.217.76& ^2 X& T9 p9 R
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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.
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) Z( R6 o. n5 d4 y7 n& fUnsightly satellite dishes have been moved, and the mass of burglar alarms and CCTV cameras on the walls above each shop has been tidied up. 5.39.217.765 Y8 O" ?2 L9 l
s7 S; q" J+ u6 [& }9 M公仔箱論壇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.’tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb# W/ d! @' }7 P8 K( S: R" l
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