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say in the mid-nineties, leasing or sub-leasing the unused floors. This arrangement would be without prejudice, but our working assumption is that the British Council is likely to retain its own identity after 1997 while the BTC is more likely to find itself absorbed into the Consulate-General.
9.
The prospect of allocating existing HK Government office accommodation to the Consulate-General is not promising. There is a lot of accommodation centrally located, but all is in large office blocks which would be unsuitable since it would not be desirable to have joint occupation with the SAR Government. One possibility (remote) would be the West Wing of the Central Government Offices, which will be ripe for development in the late nineties. But I cannot see this finding favour with the SAR Government.
10. The most attractive proposition for HMG might be to build on part of the former Victoria Barracks site (2.76 ha) which was retained by the British Forces. This is at the eastern end of the former Barracks area and across the road from the site now being developed by Swire Property. An office block could be built on the area which is at present occupied by a NAAFI and Community Centre, and the quarters which are on the site might be suitable for junior Consulate staff. A development of this kind would provide an opportunity for the British Trade Commission and the British Council to be accommodated on the same site. Moreover, if the site were developed as a whole, additional residential accommodation could be incorporated.
11. This location would be convenient, being on the edge of Central as well as being adjacent to the eastward movement of commercial development towards Wanchai. It would also offer an opportunity to build a prestigious building, although here we might run up against some resistence from the Chinese.
14.
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