In the early 1960s the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth was grouped with the neighbouring boroughs of Southwark and Camberwell to make up civil defence region 53a. Negotiations took place between them for a site to build a control centre for the area during the heightened atmosphere in the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis. A large area of Gipsy Hill in Lambeth was designated for a new housing estate and, as it was in the extreme south of the borough and well protected by the local hills, a site at the junction of Lunham Road and Hawke Road in SE19 was chosen.
