Monday 23 June 2008

Battle for Banglatown looming

The good news for all is that Shoreditch High Street station will indeed re-open at some point in the near future (two years).

The stations is currently shut, leaving many who use the East London line to rely on replacement bus services. This week plans of what the station will look like were unveiled.

But good news may soon turn bad for transport officials, if members of the Bangla community get their way.

According to the London Paper, locals have been campainging to rename the station Banlgatown because of its proximity to the area around Brick Lane, home to a large Banladeshi community.

Transport officials say the renaming will cost £2m to change existing maps, signs, etc.

According to the London East website, Imam Uddin, head of the Banglatown Restaurant Association, says: "Changing the name to Banglatown is a good idea. It will give our community more of an identity.”

Iman and his colleagues have acted swiftly to deal with this identity crisis by submitting a petition to the Council for the name change.

We eagerly await the reply on this one.

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