Children playing on the grass outside newly built flats in Peckham

In the 1960s North Peckham was largely redeveloped due to an urgent need for housing. Innovative high rise blocks of flats built from concrete with large windows and high walkways were built to house families who had been living in dilapidated old houses. They were meant to offer a higher quality and a more modern standard of living however they were characterised by inferior quality building materials, poor workmanship and inadequate maintenance. By the 1980s they had entered a decline becoming notorious for crime and vandalism and being known as sink estates. In the 1990s Peckham saw significant regeneration.