TNAG-0757-FCO40-961-Strength-of-UK-armed-forces-stationed-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 198

布政司署

CON

UN

港下亞畢道

** OUR REF.: CR 6/4941/49

來函檔號 YOUR REF.:

MAD 102.C3.

SENIAL 1680

Brigadier D T Crabtree

Deputy Commander

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GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

144

13 APR 1978

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British Forces

HQ British Forces

British Forces Post Office 1

WITS

DIED FORCES

MOD F103 NO

Dear Death.

SERIAL NO 521

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

3rd April, 1978 (AUS (GS)

Castle Peak Range and China Light & Power Co.

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In January 1978 your staff were told informally about the plan to construct a new power station at Tap Shek Kok, south of the Castle Peak Range. They were told then that neither the power station nor the associated transmission cables would affect the range, and this was reaffirmed at the Military Lands Meeting on 14th February.

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The China Light & Power Co. has now prepared a plan showing the proposed alignment for the overhead cables. Although they have endeavoured to route them clear of the range, this has not been possible where the eastern range boundary and the Tuen Mun New Town boundary coincide. At this point the cables would conflict seriously with a public housing development if they ran outside the range boundary. I enclose copies of plans which show the line of the overhead cables and the 200 metre boundary amendment which China Light & Power Co. have suggested is necessary so as to keep the cables and their towers outside the range.

3.

I am very conscious of the fact that in January 1978 you were told that there were no foreseeable plans which would result in any encroachment on the range boundaries, even though we were unable to give you a cast-iron assurance that they would remain. permanently unaltered. I also recognise the importance which you attach to the garrison having continued uninterrupted use of the range. Security Branch will strive to secure that the assurances which you have been given in this respect are honoured. On the other hand the pressure to accede to some encroachment is considerable and I believe the Department of Trade in the UK may already have approached MOD about this in view of the importance which the UK Government attaches generally to the China Light & Power Co. order of UK generating equipment etc.

4.

The difficulty of aligning the new cables clear of the range is aggravated by the fact that the public housing development in the area is in a well-advanced stage of planning, and by the fact that a change in the alignment here will necessitate consequential changes nearby which could produce further unacceptable

CONFIDENTIAL

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