COMING SOON - STRATFORD JUNCTION

 


    Not so long ago, Stratford was a forgotten corner of East London. It had excellent transport links, but few people came unless they had to.
    Then everything changed.
    First came Westfield. Then the 2012 Olympics transformed the area. The Elizabeth Line followed, and suddenly Stratford was one of London's best-connected destinations. Developers arrived like bees round a honeypot, with new homes, offices and hotels appearing in every direction.
     Yet one sizeable pocket remains undeveloped.
     Tucked away between the railway lines is a forgotten enclave with ambitious plans for the future. Right now it's little more than a hidden canvas, home to a convoy of old double-decker buses covered in murals. One day, if the vision becomes reality, it hopes to be one of London's newest cultural quarters, with street art, street food, entertainment venues and, eventually, apartments and hotels.
     I recently attended one of the project's drop-in sessions and was immediately won over by the whole vision - in fact I would have been sold solely on the street art and street food. I can't wait to see it open.


     For now, the buses remain a tantalising splash of colour glimpsed from afar, beyond the tracks. 
    The photos below were taken from the presentation's slideshow, as it's still impossible to get close enough to appreciate the artwork properly.






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