Peckham - a South London area on the up

Not exactly my usual geographical territory, but hey, it's South East London - in the Independent today:

"Introducing the new Montmartre: it's Del boy's manor, Peckham SE15

It's not as odd as it sounds – the deprived south London area is rebranding itself as the capital's contemporary art hub, much like the Parisian district during the 19th and 20th centuries

One boasts the Sacré-Coeur, Salvador Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh. The other has abandoned car parks and dark echoes of the murder of Damilola Taylor. On the face of it, Paris's famed Montmartre and London's infamous Peckham have very little in common. But all that is about to change..." Read the rest of this article by Simon Tait

Such pieces do appear from time to time about run-down areas - New Cross and Brockley have had the treatment too in the past.

Some local bloggers/tweeters are not impressed though:

carolineld Caroline:

Infamous: check. Murder: check. No tube: check
RT @deptforddame Another paper wheels out cliches about SE London http://tinyurl.com/65e4ong.

So Peckham has 'infamous', murder' and 'no tube'. I wonder what the media 'checklist' for Eltham would be ....