CO129-577-3 Proposed transfer of military barracks to alternative site 30-1-1939 - 14-12-1939 — Page 2

C.1.

"Military"

1

Governor

53654/39

2

conf. (2)

30.1.39.

Proposes removal of barracks and other buildings

in central district of Victoria and on Victoria peak

to a less valuable site.

that

The Governor states/for some time past he

has been discussing informally with the local

military authorities the possibility of removing the

barracks, etc. occupied by the Infantry Battalion

stationed in the central district of Victoria and on

Victoria peak to a less valuable site away from the

centre of the city. The effect would be to render

a large tract of land in the centre of Victoria

available for civil development. The provisional

areas in question occupied by the Military are shaded

pink on the accompanying map.

The proposal is that the Military should

surrender this land in return for the grant of a new

site elsewhere on the island: the Colonial Government

will have to bear the cost of site formation, of the

buildings, access roads, anti-Malaria work and water

supplies for the new site, subject to an agreed

maximum total cost. The estimated cost of the scheme

to the Colonial Government is about $5,000,000, against

which the Governor states an equivalent sum might be

realised by the sale of the land surrendered, though

this would probably be spread over a number of years.

Both the Army Council and the Executive Council have

apparently expressed their agreement in principle, and

the Governor requests approval to go ahead with the

negotiations.

There would seem to be considerable

advantages in the scheme whereby such a large area

would become available for commercial development and

town re-planning, etc., and the Governor considers

that these advantages would outweigh any monetary loss

which