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公仔箱論壇8 ^' M+ U9 e; Z2 t. h
# F# w0 {8 e9 ltvb now,tvbnow,bttvbBy Rosie Taylor
3 }/ B. o/ y" [: YTVBNOW 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。5 G) y' _: T2 x" l: L
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.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb, }# s: ~! D! p: y( L" R
) H2 b2 A6 [, W) p" I1 Z1 @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.
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0 A1 j8 w% d5 Z" HTatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics 4 \0 ?( Z' h+ h0 p) b1 |
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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.
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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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+ Y$ p/ _) n) H. x2 O7 etvb 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.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。 \$ A6 U2 W7 j8 U: ?
! y! j8 A3 r; j( N公仔箱論壇As part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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/ F7 l2 h" T, r- ^3 t E, R" Nos.tvboxnow.comMost 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 L! `0 A$ }+ h ^tvb now,tvbnow,bttvbThe refurbishment was carried out as part of a half-a-million-pound project to spruce up businesses in the Leyton area before the Olympics.; Q. _9 ~6 F# L, W k6 Q, G
1 P3 Y7 ?5 V) ]8 F% x1 F公仔箱論壇It is being funded by a £475,000 grant from the Government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund as well as money from Waltham Forest Council.3 m/ \) t. p9 [& w8 b* Y
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% [/ G( U' j+ v* a! P b公仔箱論壇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 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。# I4 T3 y4 s! b: j- x
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# z+ o1 w1 t/ ~: q0 U+ Hos.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 £475,000tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb2 [3 H W, R4 @9 q4 k
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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 fronttvb now,tvbnow,bttvb$ V# Y% G4 S% g9 h9 ?
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# T( h' Q" c& ?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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5 ^, u' z, {# hLast 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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$ Q3 B% y8 S1 o! s2 Oos.tvboxnow.com‘People can window shop and trade has picked up. 8 J( m, Z7 \5 d a) s
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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.’
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4 S0 e8 q/ ^$ J" [, u2 U* |公仔箱論壇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.’/ W- L, e) l9 A- d+ c. X* D' s
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But Mrs Bung said she had been reluctant to replace her shutters.公仔箱論壇& f) l" [4 F7 {' A1 I
3 u7 u$ y. k4 `- U5 V1 Q" tTVBNOW 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 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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1 G6 S3 V! |/ b: wA hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformation j) q# B/ |9 L% y" ?3 a
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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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8 v! Q( l( Q5 Z; j! N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...tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb1 J4 |9 T& e8 u8 d& j1 D8 D- N
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' Q: Y. u7 |3 p* z6 A公仔箱論壇... 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公仔箱論壇# l4 D: k6 {3 j. T& }) o5 Y
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Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21.
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( G m' V+ v$ j( R C) T! T/ vChris 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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6 y$ g( I+ ?6 u0 j8 q! R( uTVBNOW 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。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.公仔箱論壇, i' Z" s, }+ j3 z, M
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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.+ B( ^6 Y6 m5 J
: `* l% n9 d; L& A6 P7 i) xUnsightly satellite dishes have been moved, and the mass of burglar alarms and CCTV cameras on the walls above each shop has been tidied up. 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。# F: _& m" Y7 d1 G4 w( \
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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.’
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