[2] Hyde Park was the site of the earliest large scale slum clearance in Britain, the previous back-to-back housing having been known as "Little Chicago" in the 1930s, due to the violent crimes sometimes committed there.

Designed by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, under the auspices of J. L. Womersley, the deck access scheme, inspired by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation and the Smithson's unbuilt schemes, most notably for Golden Lane in London, was viewed as revolutionary at the time.

The first residents moved into Block D in October 1963 with the project being declared complete in June 1965, when the keys to the last flats were handed over to tenants.

The majority of buildings at Hyde Park were demolished, with the remaining blocks refurbished for use in the 1991 Summer Universiade, before returning to use as council housing.

The Park Hill estate still survives as a grade II* listed building, and large scale renovation is under way.