TNAG-1175-FCO40-1477-Proposed-replacement-airport-for-Hong-Kong-at-Deep-Bay-or-Ch-1982 — Page 83

CONFIDENTIAL

26.

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

HRR

本署檔號 OUR REF.: 11) TS 7/82

1821

1

YOUR REF.:

15 JULARL

No

cae

R D Clift, Esq,

HKGD,

F C O.

Dear Trick,

20/1 fre 2017

Good. Enter

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

12 July 1982

copied pas 1517

Copy MAED Mus pl. Blads চিল 7

Obs

see (27)

32

(11)

Replacement Airport

We had correspondence earlier this year (my teleletter of 20 February, Michael Atkinson's of 25 February and yours of 10 March) about the desirability of proceeding further with Deep Bay studies. We were all agreed that the political arguments were strongly in favour of discarding the Deep Bay option and concentrating on Chep Lap Kok. You will have seen that advice was submitted to ExCo accordingly (in memorandum XCS (82) 3) and accepted by them. Partly because of the view of one senior unofficial that the possibility of reverting to Deep Bay at some future date should be left open no press statement was issued. Defensive briefing was prepared but it has not so far been necessary to use it.

2.

33

David Wilson kept NCNA generally informed about replace- ment airport studies and told them shortly before leaving last October that a report was being prepared "on the technical feasibility of flying over the Fanling corridor" which ExCo would need before deciding whether or not to proceed to a full feasibility study of a Deep Bay site. I have therefore had it in mind to let them know that ExCo decided (on civil aviation, environmental and other practical grounds) not to proceed with a full study. I then learned that a Civil Aviation Department team would be going to Canton on 5 July for technical discussions about Chep Lap Kok. This seemed a good opportunity to get the message across to the Chinese authorities directly concerned and I briefed Brian Keep, the Director of Civil Aviation accordingly.

3

The question was not raised in the formal talks on 5 July but the Chinese asked in the corridors whether Chep Lap Kok was the only site under consideration, adding that they understood that Deep Bay was also being looked at. Members of the team replied that Deep Bay had been briefly reconsidered towards the

/end ..

CONFIDENTIAL