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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By Rosie Taylor
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7 m) Y9 R j. ?& x3 J4 f5.39.217.76A 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.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb7 Z1 r" i/ E$ j. d o8 e$ j
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But Leyton High Road, just round the corner from the Olympic Park, has undergone a remarkable transformation.9 l- ?( X2 m# G- T/ l7 Z+ 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.
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" K) p# k0 `; _9 A! z9 ^5.39.217.76Tatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics 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。% }8 c3 y$ K* w0 i& R5 ]
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- o+ {% }; i$ Z5 j, P# K) ?: R公仔箱論壇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.
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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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* G. Y. }! `9 ^: Z) s# I( G. V. R: x5.39.217.76Even 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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# E* p; C, e, G. Z5.39.217.76As part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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4 B9 c( a6 E, N, \1 v# z7 z5.39.217.76Most 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. 0 f; y+ T* ^$ c5 m2 y) N# F- n, ]
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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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' E7 G; G, |( P# [. c5 q4 s) dTVBNOW 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。It is being funded by a £475,000 grant from the Government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund as well as money from Waltham Forest Council.
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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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. m# B' m; C' n7 A, mClean: The shop facades on Leyton High Road have been much improved, but it came at a price. The re-decoration of the street cost £475,0009 l/ X, H! E4 `7 N- L
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) k5 {+ l/ ?% f, n" L; r# Y公仔箱論壇A plastic sign advertises sale prices at the women's fashion shop and the KFC branch has a standard full-glass front
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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 End5.39.217.769 W/ J) T9 Z" W' c( G% D2 O
T8 N: e# j+ U3 g8 H5 ]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.’ tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb/ t( i% f% |9 T5 [2 @! q% K
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Shamima Bung, owner of Blackwell’s newsagents, was also pleased with the transformation.5.39.217.765 `( R. f4 W6 I/ d( j
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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.’
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4 |$ m" n( E& G3 t8 C5 F, t5.39.217.76But Mrs Bung said she had been reluctant to replace her shutters.
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. {' U; J* E" D# u: b: `2 h5.39.217.76‘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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A hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformation
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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 beforetvb now,tvbnow,bttvb5 I6 d% D0 T$ j! S5 ?9 m6 R% o
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& v; [" a: |0 F5 \0 h( d5.39.217.76The 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...4 e7 m3 ^2 S' a t$ s5 Q
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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
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5 ]4 ]! y6 F' F/ [Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21. . v4 B/ N/ {/ E) S5 y
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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.’tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb4 o* G- `# {8 R- D0 B" p
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And it is not just the shops which have had a makeover. . Y) E: f6 K5 p% J% R
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The pavements have been cleaned, the street signs replaced with modern ones and the lamps given a contemporary update.
- d4 X. V; P0 ^( f- v: N6 @# o3 utvb now,tvbnow,bttvb
) w/ k/ N! g4 {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。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.' F8 b" C1 k( }
( h: i$ ~4 B9 u/ _( g$ s6 o! dtvb 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. ( T" }: E. G7 B$ f/ }
- I, `1 ?/ `! S& Z* ]5.39.217.76Gordon 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$ [/ q9 u1 y( U8 @# z- d: i
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