In 1857, while chronicling East London’s slums, Charles Dickens pronounced that “Canning Town is the child of the Victoria Docks”. That may be true, but Canning Town is among the most deprived areas of the UK and very much the poor relation to the glistening Docklands that surrounds it. However, that is all set to change with the £3.7 billion Canning Town and Customs House regeneration programme that is transforming this pocket of the London borough of Newham.