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Transport Manager Terry Gooch moved into to Coralline Walk with his wife and three children back in 1968.

Originally from Peckham, he and his family were chosen to be the 'face' of a new development which was planned for a marshland area that spread between Bexley and Greenwich.

Thamesmead in its heyday

Chauffeured car

Sitting close to the Thames, and with big plans for homes for 60,000 people and a Marina Shopping Centre - moving to Thamesmead in the late 60s looked like a good opportunity.

Terry says they were treated to chauffeured cars and attention from those in charge.

"We thought it was going to be the be all and end all of everything - and it appeared to be at first."

Thamesmead construction site

"The plans were so revolutionary - we thought we'd be the start of that revolution"

But, living on a huge construction site, it would be six months before the Gooch family even had a next door neighbour.

There were also signs of early teething problems with the new-build.

Deteriorated

Forty years on and Terry still lives in the property he moved into in 1968, and says things have changed considerably.

Μύ"We never ever go out at night and never answer the door at night."

Next door neighbour Kim Hattersley says: "I stay indoors and keep the door locked, I only go out when I have to."

Thamesmead in its current form

Tower Blocks

As the Thamesmead Estate marks its fortieth birthday, there is a renewed effort to help turn things around and to regenerate the areas of the site which haven't worked.

Alison Breese from Gallions Housing Association says two of the tower blocks have already been renovated, a new health centre already operational and a roof covering a car park has been demolished.

Representing the group responsible for housing in the area she said the Β£138m regeneration was about "jobs, infrastructure, communities and investment."

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"As the development progressed, and as usual as money ran out - we just started to build housing - not the infrastructure to go with them."

"So, the latter phases of Thamesmead - maybe from the seventies and eighties - don’t have the original master plans at their heart"

Disappointed

One of the original engineers who worked to design the Thamesmead Estate was present at the official birthday event in Abbey Wood.

John McCarthy said he was disappointed the original plans to build a Marina Shopping Centre and a lively Town Centre still weren't being realised.

Responsible for designing the road network of the development, Mr McCarthy said Thamesmead was "always part of London, but still a New Town."

With the arrival of CrossRail at nearby Abbey Wood train station come 2018 there are high hopes for the area over the next decade.