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Green Street is vibrant and unpretentious. Located at the heart of the borough in the traditional East-End of London, Green Street is priceless to Newham Borough because of its diversity as well as the South Asian shopping experience along its high street. It is home to Queens Market, where local residents get good quality food at affordable prices and has been on the street for over a century. It is also host to West Ham Football club.

Together, with the 400 great independent shops on the street, Green Street is a commercial hub for business.听The bustling atmosphere on the street comprises of a vibrant mix of race and cultures; Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans as well as Afro-Caribbeans, Africans and most recently, Eastern Europeans.听

Newham is one of the host boroughs for the 2012 Olympic Games and there are a number of regeneration programmes taking place in the next five years leading up to the Olympics. Green Street is a treasured part of the borough.

New facilities promised

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham believes, "The borough is a lively, vibrant and exciting place, and Green Street is a real jewel" he says "we are very proud of that and it鈥檚 a very important part of Newham, and we want to keep it that way."

In addition, Sir Robin points out that the street is being regenerated for social and economic reasons. "It provides a lot of employment," he says. "The whole area is being massively lifted to improve the elements of the street."

Among the council's plans for regeneration on the street includes a facelift for Queens Market, a new library, a local service centre as well as a health centre for the local people.听听

People walking on Green Street

The council also says it recognises things will change in the course of events leading up to the 2012 Olympic games. Sir Robin says the plan is to make to make Green Street a nicer place to shop, provide more parking space and vibrancy. The council wants to protect the street for all these changes. In light of that, the mayor plans to use the 2012 games to advertise the area. "What we are planning to do, is use to use the opportunity of the games to highlight the quality of Green Street as a place to because it is actually a major tourist attraction" he says.听

Green Street's history dates back to the Tudor era of England. Over the years, it has experienced a significant number of changes from the bombings of the Second World War (WWII) to regeneration in the 1960s and 1990s, and the different waves of migration. Some residents are concerned about losing that history due to the regeneration plans and the effects of gentrification.

While Sir Robin is adamant that Green Street will remain as it is, he is quick to point out that the street is not what it used to be compared to 20 years ago. He says: "The point about Newham is that we want to try and keep people here but we also recognise that new people will come and we have to adapt to changing circumstances. We'll adapt, people adapt and that's what we do and that's what we'll continue to do."

He also believes the council has got to keep developing its history due to changing times. "What we have got to do is keep developing our history. History does not stop. You can't stop it," he says. "If you think you can stop it where you are, you don't understand modern world."听

There are others are opposed to plans for the area. Among them is Councillor Hanif Abdulmuhit of Respect Party for Green Street West. "We don't believe in the regeneration because there are other ways of regenerating the area and not give it to a private developer" he says. "It is not the people's plan but the mayors'." Mr Abulmuhit also dismisses any positive impacts of regeneration on local businesses in the area. "It's going to drive out a lot of small businesses because the rate will be unaffordable. It is going to affect the rent" he explains.

His viewpoint is shared by some local shopkeepers who are concerned that if the rates go up, they will have to close down and move away from the local area.听

Tower Block on Green Street

Residents kept in the dark

For long time residents, the regeneration plans has raised a number of concerns. These, they say, include a lack of engagement between the council and local residents about the council's plans for the street. "I don't think they really know anything about it. I mean we have not been told about the regeneration plans for Green Street, nothing has come to us" says Jean Tunwell, chair of Green Street Tenants Residents area meeting and vice chair of Newham's Tenants & Residents Federation. Her viewpoint is shared by Nooruddini Ahmed, managing director of Agroni and co-author of Bridging The Gap.听

"People are still in complete darkness about what is going on. The only thing they know is that it is happening in East London, in the year 2012," he says. "But they don't know enough about it." Agroni has conducted research on the lasting legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games on the East End Asian communities of London and Mr Ahmed believes that there is a lack of information about the council's plans. "The lack of engagement with the people is the most worrying thing."听

New Business

Despite the opposition, there are those who also believe regeneration will be good for the street. Suzy, Shauna, Cheryl and Marcia, all work at Beauty Spot, one of the many hairdressing salons along Green Street. Though they are not fully aware of what the regeneration plans entail. Like some of the shopkeepers, they are not happy with the increased rates they may have to pay to maintain their livelihood. However, they believe regeneration will be good for the street because it will bring in new businesses. "If they bring in new businesses, the shopping centre, it will help the area" says Marcia. "More people will come in the area and we'll get more people to come and do their hair."听

For Sir Robin, the lasting legacy of the regeneration and the 2012 Olympic Games is a priority. "For us, what's important is that there will be a physical legacy" he says, "the most important legacy issue from the games is that it will give our young people inspiration and our whole community something better to aspire to." He sees the regeneration for Green Street as a chance to build the community as an active and inclusive community. The proposed change for Green Street has its residents in anticipation of what the council has to offer but for the mayor, what he is looking forward to is something that works for our residents. "That's all I'm interested in," he says.