Hackney shopfronts revamp

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I’m really excited to see the plans for renovating a number of shopfronts on Mare Street and Clarence Road – the aim is to complete 15 before end of March with more to follow. A hugely positive thing for the Hackney Central area I reckon. Drawings and details at http://www.hackney.gov.uk/hc-shop-front-improvements.htm.

9 Comments

  1. Thanks @jason this looks like a great step forward. What worried me a little was the notion of quick wins and longer term initiatives (second design principles doc). My fear is that the council just do the quick wins and don’t follow through with the whole project. Regardless of this though, it’s great that the council is taking responsibility for the aesthetic of the area. I would hope that when people see shops and businesses taking more pride in their appearance it will lead to a collective spirit of improving the area. Fingers crossed!

  2. You’re welcome @jimmytcase – and I totally agree with you. With recent news about yet more big retail names going bust, our high streets really need all the help they can get. And although revamping 30-or-so shopfronts might not sound like a big deal, I’m also hoping the scheme will really get the momentum going and attract new businesses and shoppers to the area. Even more imperative given the impact of Westfield just up the road… The renovations have a final deadline of June I think, and I understand that cash from Boris’s riot fund has been widely advertised as being allocated to the scheme, so I’m also hoping that the whole thing is seen through to completion.If you’re interested, here’s a link of a similar sounding scheme in Leyton last year.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160777/London-2012-Olympics-Leyton-High-Road-gets-new-look-thats-Notting-Hill-EastEnders.html

  3. Wow, if this project is even half as good as the Leyton scheme it should be amazing. What i particularly like is the quote from the local shopkeeper who had noticed an increase in trade. Positive stuff.

  4. I think they’re also doing seminars for all businesses on marketing, visual merchandising etc. Really hope Mare Street fights back and attracts new and diverse businesses before it’s totally overrun with betting shops, pawnbrokers and the like!

  5. @jimmytcase @jason full details of design principles and seminars over on the Hackney Council website: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/hc-shop-front-improvements.htm “

  6. Along with the reopening of the old central station (on the right in the pic above) the walkway between the two stations and the outlet village area, this is really significant for Hackney. Brilliant.

  7. I was wondering about the station building when I saw that illustration. The last thing I read was that they were going to renovate it and reopen it as station’s ticket hall, but maybe plans have changed again and it really is going to be a restaurant now. (Or both?) But either way, the plans certainly make that immediate area much more inviting and attractive.

  8. There was work done to the ticket hall itself but nothing from what ive seen at platform level, so you may be right there. That would be a shame.

  9. Plans have been approved for a revamp of the fish vendors kiosk outside the station. They include a new roof made from brassy \fish scales” and a fishtail finial;http://idox.hackney.gov.uk/WAM/doc/Drawing-384300.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=384300&location=VOLUME1&contentType=&pageCount=1“

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