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 EastEnders5.39.217.761 N m6 E! `0 D
: G" k5 U8 W8 q+ e( ~tvb 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.公仔箱論壇4 v$ T6 |1 b& l. I2 p$ h
- T/ f a1 \3 N9 Q5 cBut Leyton High Road, just round the corner from the Olympic Park, has undergone a remarkable transformation.4 t( V8 g2 L s0 S: G4 E* m
$ {! X5 G: I7 b* O8 V h* r. W5 A公仔箱論壇Instead of the broken windows and garish shopfronts is a parade more typical of Chelsea or Notting Hill than the East End of London.) U/ R+ c$ e, T" P0 O
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8 m- W; A0 \4 f! w, ^" e6 Ztvb now,tvbnow,bttvbTatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics " ^$ x4 [0 R, L' e& j/ c) ]" o# w1 o1 K
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. x! C( `" p/ e4 pPassers-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., z% x9 j" ?' w# D! s
2 ?7 G8 u$ o, P+ I/ J0 p/ pShop names in charmless neon or plastic have been replaced with hand-painted signs adorned with elegant calligraphy or old-fashioned metal lettering. tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb! ^- m2 G+ J( g; `0 _; u
m! m. ~; g8 k- Ttvb now,tvbnow,bttvbEven 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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As part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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i5 {' u3 w9 ^% l# X0 s5 g) b5.39.217.76Most 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.
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7 [7 @1 c, q. f1 M: b e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.
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6 e3 x- c) c. N# K5.39.217.76It is being funded by a £475,000 grant from the Government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund as well as money from Waltham Forest Council.5.39.217.768 |; _' W; \' T4 y0 P s/ T7 _
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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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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 £475,000tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb Y$ e4 Y! C. E
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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 frontTVBNOW 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 {# Z( Y7 O; V
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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 EndTVBNOW 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。' \, i, R; W) d! O0 I
, `4 L" H8 k; A$ W- MTVBNOW 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。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.
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‘Having the shutter inside means people can see in the window all the time, which is like a 24/7 advert for us.’ 1 `. C5 u$ N0 H% |
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Shamima Bung, owner of Blackwell’s newsagents, was also pleased with the transformation.( v% m. c6 F: T( w0 I9 Q- V
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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.’% Y/ H$ _0 c, l; [0 A
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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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, c. u% L% U+ i' B9 ^6 }4 ^1 H8 K公仔箱論壇A hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformation公仔箱論壇, W- x' i8 W/ h( C. L+ {1 X! Z
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( C( g% b* A$ j, n9 R0 [0 S) xTVBNOW 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 has been given a touch of Kensington with paint and new signs - even the bus stop commercial is more inviting than before2 z5 j8 x' p4 y; Y U
; b! O" p! D/ N% ]# M# j$ t+ ltvb now,tvbnow,bttvb
7 H( F. A' ], Q2 z8 o/ 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。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...5.39.217.76$ |+ ]( d, B; x% a" [' |, k
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& U/ [2 a0 D$ _2 y: E' z; ^ z... 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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Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21. 5.39.217.76/ T# H! V8 e1 E& r
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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.’7 B8 d# J0 S0 {! Y/ I. f
. l( x) T, y' Z* B( R5.39.217.76And it is not just the shops which have had a makeover.
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/ ?/ [ Q5 [+ h, C* @" b! H! i4 TThe pavements have been cleaned, the street signs replaced with modern ones and the lamps given a contemporary update.
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$ |4 f D# M2 r' G- V公仔箱論壇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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Unsightly satellite dishes have been moved, and the mass of burglar alarms and CCTV cameras on the walls above each shop has been tidied up.
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6 J8 O* n' ?$ W, h' Btvb now,tvbnow,bttvbGordon 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.’5.39.217.76' O4 m; ^6 A* R! B& w$ F+ g' n3 F
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