Livesey Exchange

Livesey Exchange Garages 

Livesey Exchange Today

Currently located beneath the Ledbury Estate off the Old Kent Road 60+ vacant garages are being transformed into a space to serve the neighbourhood, running workshops, exhibitions, skill-sharing and cultural development programmes. With over 15000 square meters of space Livesey Exchange (LEX) is a rare opportunity to preserve vital space for local residents as the borough of Southwark enters into a period of accelerated regeneration.

The donations raised through this crowdfunding drive will be used to transform the garages into fully operatinal open access creative space for the use of local artists and community initiatives. This fund will enable us to reimburse our contributors fairly for their time, and make sure residents of all socioeconomic backgrounds can participate in the free of charge programme of workshops and events. Freelances and creatives in our community are seeking collaborative working relationships with the LEX project to use the spaces/hub that we currently have to set up workshops to show case their work as well as share their skills and knowledge to train local residents.

Our History

How we use the Livesey Exchange will be determined by participation with the community, and develops as our networks strengthen and our reach grows. The very
foundation of which Livesey Exchange is built on is the community in which it is embedded in. LEX founder and Peckham resident Nicholas Okwulu is a veteran community leader and enabler with many years of community work experience in Peckham. The LEX project evolved through collaboration with local residents, small businesses and stakeholders. Continuous engagement events and workshops have taken place in Peckham to ascertain local aspirations. Local call outs were made to obtain feedback from the community to understand the problems faced as well as methods to combat such issues. Ongoing community engagement and feedback continues to be imperative to the decision making process for the LEX project.

The Future of Livesey

While the Livesey Exchange continues to grow and develop in its Ledbury Estate home, a purpose-built hub will be constructed on a currently vacant site (opposite B&Q and Curry’s PC World) owned by Southwark Council close to the original site.

The new Livesey Exchange building is scheduled to open in 2021 and any prospective tenants will be expected to contribute to a programme of skills development aimed at members of the local community, creatives and particularly young people. Livesey Exchange will be an important new piece of social infrastructure, enlivening a section of the high street currently characterised by car-park based retail. Through its mix of accessible social, cultural and work spaces, it will serve to support the local community as the neighbourhood, a designated Opportunity Area, undergoes major change; including the addition of approximately 20,000 new homes.

Livesey Exchange is a project in the making. We are always seeking local contributors, come down to see us at the Livesey garages weekdays 12-6pm. Be part of the journey!