Some information on Pekham

Peckham has never been an administrative district, or a single ecclesiastical parish in its own right, but it developed a strong sense of identity in the 19th century when Rye Lane was one of the most important shopping streets in south London.

The area known as Peckham covers a large geographic area of South London and takes in many diverse communities. A traditional London working class community now coexists with communities that have their origins in Bangladesh, the Caribbean, China, India, Ireland, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, Eastern Europe and Vietnam. As well as these communities there has been a steady gentrification of some of the areas to the south of Peckham and this has meant an influx of cafés, wine bars, niche shops and artists' studios.

A few highly publicised crimes have tarnished the area's reputation. Cases such as the murder of Damilola Taylor in November 2000, the shooting of eight or nine (contemporary reports vary) people queuing outside Chicago's nightclub in the summer of 2000 and three murders in February 2007 (one of 15 year old Michael Dosunmu in his bedroom)[1] have given the impression that Peckham is dangerous and lawless. However, incidents like this do not reflect the lives of a large majority of the people living in the area.

North Peckham was heavily redeveloped in the 1960s, consisting mainly of high-rise flats to rehouse people from dilapidated old houses. It was popular on its completion for offering a high quality and modern standing of living, but soon entered a decline that turned it into one of the worst residential areas in Western Europe. Urban decay, vandalism, graffiti, arson attacks, robberies and muggings were commonplace, and the area became an archetypal London sink estate. As a result, the area was earmarked for total regeneration in the late 1990s. After the beginning of the regeneration, the estate gained nationwide notoriety in the media when 10-year-old Nigerian resident Damilola Taylor was stabbed to death on the estate on 27 November 2000.[6] However, by 2002, 90% of the redevelopment was complete. The new homes were better laid out and offered improved security, though few local people were convinced that better housing would equate to a better area.

The European Union has invested heavily in the regeneration of the area; partly funding the futuristic, award-winning Peckham Library, a new town square and swathes of new housing to replace the North Peckham Estate. Throughout the area state funding is being provided to improve the housing stock and renovate the streets. This includes funding for public arts projects like the Tom Phillips mosaics on the wall of the Peckham Experiment restaurant and the South London Gallery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peckham

Despite investment, social problems persist
The neighbourhood where Damilola Taylor, 10, was killed is in one of Europe's biggest regeneration zones, but frustrations remain over quality of life in the area.

Only last month the £260m Peckham Partnership project was hailed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as a "shining example" of what can be done to renew deprived neighbourhoods.

The six-year-old scheme will see 4,000 graffiti-stained, crime-ridden and overcrowded blocks torn down to make way for 2,000 new homes.
Efforts to cut crime have seen £2m spent on community safety with £300,000 going on CCTV.

Southwark, the borough in which Peckham lies, had the third highest crime rate in London three years ago. It is now ninth.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1046662.stm

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