Livesey Exchange opens new building

The official opening of the second building at Nicholas Okwulu’s Livesey Exchange was held on Friday 6 March.

A second building for the Livesey Exchange (LEX2) on Old Kent Road officially opened on Friday.

Established by Nicholas Okwulu, from PemPeople, the Livesey Exchange is a local grassroots project dedicated to unlocking opportunities for local residents. Started by Nicholas in converted garages on the nearby Ledbury estate, PemPeople built a new home for the project, LEX2, at 567 Old Kent Road, which opened in 2023.

LEX2 offers workshops, skills development training and cultural programmes. It has co-working desks; office space; a pop-up café; a commercial kitchen and a large, mixed-use events space.

The new building, which opened this weekend, adds another four, large workshop spaces to the complex, with associated facilities. Overall, 40% of all workspace on the site is let at discounted rates.

The council agreed a 15-year lease for the meanwhile site on Old Kent Road (pending future development) and the project has been made possible with the help of £3.5m in grant funding, across the two phases, including more than £300k contributed by Southwark Council.

The new building also includes a new rooftop garden which will be available from this summer onwards. A third phase will add new landscaping and fit out the community kitchen.

LiveseyExchange.com