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 EastEnderstvb now,tvbnow,bttvb# L# s, ~* G* v. @5 [7 _% o
4 x8 S) y" i! ?; Htvb now,tvbnow,bttvbBy Rosie Taylor6 |5 {! \6 B( ^# @
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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% f5 {6 [0 s0 ^% P
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But Leyton High Road, just round the corner from the Olympic Park, has undergone a remarkable 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。( O% L1 C0 k+ g, [) V9 g9 b
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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., G- [4 i X- c
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Tatty: This is what the shopfronts looked like before the makeover which was brought on by the upcoming Olympics www1.tvboxnow.com, B4 p- R1 I& v: \; E
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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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) l. ]# u, p1 eShop 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./ j! {$ _( l/ s Q3 c* ?
# H8 v8 U" d+ ?. L, S! }1 Kwww1.tvboxnow.comAs part of the makeover, many businesses have had their frames, awnings, windows and doors replaced.
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, J3 A; S, l8 B( B4 D. H* d* vwww1.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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! w! w3 w9 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.
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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.
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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 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。: o+ z! n+ D0 T0 L p7 l
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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 £475,0000 e; y) Z3 }: h5 d( p
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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
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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 End0 f$ K% d1 E# ]5 [2 w7 q6 c
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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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* x% Q& T. Z T- L8 H; v‘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.’ : r E F' E, {# [
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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.’
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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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3 v/ k2 F% [6 M1 L0 [A hair salon, Pizza Hut and Blackwell's news agents are not looking particularly inviting before the transformation
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( ~& O; H7 |! [6 r$ 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。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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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...www1.tvboxnow.com3 i4 {/ @. W5 C* n
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3 Q( Y, ~) { P0 d0 _# A: q+ R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 nightTVBNOW 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。4 R% j2 W9 @: D% D: |% E
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Leyton High Road will host the Olympic torch relay on July 21. w0 E: D/ S& `6 ^
2 X. Y7 E! Y+ z% t: 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。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.’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。+ I3 ]9 i) [7 v3 ]% Q
l% l* ? f+ q4 X6 MAnd 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.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb( }$ G5 u c3 [. l
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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6 |" a0 `! c% u, w: d+ e: y) @
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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. 公仔箱論壇5 y4 O& I6 B; a) s& w. q1 I
) `) o) n1 l2 x3 B* v' Ktvb 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.’tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb: n: d, J( m3 A& m5 Y5 _
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