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Mr Murray
HONG KONG: RELEASE OF LAND AT LYEMUN AND SHAM SHUI PO
attathed
ез
You asked about the position over the release of this land by the Ministry of Defence to the Hong Kong Government.
1.
2. The 1976 Defence Costs Agreement provides for the release to the Hong Kong Government of sites surplus to the needs of the British garrison in return for the provision of alternative facilities. At the beginning of last year the Hong Kong Government proposed to the MOD that some 84 acres of land on two sites at Lyemun and Sham Shui Po should be released for development. At the time when the Agreement was drawn up neither of these two sites had been considered for release but the MOD acceded to the request - and themselves proposed the inclusion in the deal of two further properties at Bowring
since Camp (17 acres) and Tudor Court in Kowloon (1 acre) they believed that the move would improve the operational and administrative efficiency of the garrison by rationalizing and concentrating its facilities. For their part, the Hong Kong Government agreed to provide comparable facilities elsewhere and also undertook to carry out works costing over HK$50m. in other military camps.
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3. Negotiations between the Hong Kong Government and the MOD were completed in early October last year. A public announcement followed on 22 December (copy attached) and the agreement reached is now being put into effect.
4.
Indications are that both parties are pleased with the outcome but the MOD have expressed reservations over any further releases of land. However, since the rationalization of the garrison's facilities is now broadly complete, the scope for further releases is very limited.
Rukashen
21 June 1978
Thank
RJT McLaren
Hong Kong & General Dept
you.
It had
escaped
that
this had successfully been agreed.
D
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