TNAG-2658-FCO40-3854-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-1992 — Page 13

19-FEB-1992

11:51

BRITISH TRADE COMM

P.02

OHNSON

STOKES &

MASTER

In association with Norton Rose

Solicitors. Notaries, Agents

for Trademarks and Patents

孖士打律師行

綠諾頓羅氏律師行

香港中琛涉打道10號太子大厦17樓

17th Floot. Prince's Building

10 Chater Road, Hong Kong Telephone: 843 2211

Telex: 73704 HX / 75107 HX

Facsimile: 845 9121 / 845 1735 / 868 1964

DX-9001-1C Hong Kong

Other offices: Bangkok, Beijing, Kowloon

and New Territories

Our ref:

Your ref:

RWN/928577/9 (F396) Direct line:

British Trade Commission Hong Kong,

9/F., Bank of America Tower,

12 Harcourt Road,

Hong Kong.

Attn: Mr. Russell Jarvis

Dear Sirs,

8432278

Date:

18th February, 1992

BY HAND

Re: Proposed Private Treaty Grant

over Inland Lot No.8675

Further to our letter yesterday, we have now managed to obtain a copy of the Crown Lease dated 14th April, 1960 in favour of the Government of the United States of America in respect of their Consulate General premises at Garden Road on Inland Lot No.6622 and are pleased to enclose a copy for your information.

On looking through the enclosed Crown Lease, you will be interested to note the following:

1.

2.

on page 4 the power for the Director of Lands at least twice or more often in every year at all reasonable times in the day to enter into and upon the demised premises to view, search and see the condition of them etc.:

on page 7 there is a most unusual provision (and indeed the writer of this letter has never seen this in any other Crown Lease) whereby the Government of the United States of America has the option to purchase the foo simple (ie. the freehold reversion) at any time during the Lease upon giving three months' notice to the Government and paying a fair value for the premises. Quite how this would operate in the present environment with the Joint Declaration in existence and sovereignty over Hong Kong passing to China in 1997 is hard to imagine and it would seem clear the Government is not now in a position to transfer the "freehold" over to the Government of the

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Norton Rose resident partners: D J Shaw D P R ŠTANNARD P HASLAM

Consultants: ♬ 5 M¢B£ney• T 3 Grfoory' Ř S Prazo" PJ THOMPSON' J F PAYNE' A R CxuttlE" Solicitors: A OYAUMAL Bankes D J A BOYUR

N J Bradbury A K Brown V 5 C CHAN Ç 5 Y CHEN ET M CHEUNG V N W CHRUNG A F K CHow P K L Cov EF CURLEWIKA E D'ARCY G E 1 Docherty J P DOS

G Downey D A Elub A J Gɛnors S M Hayward J M Y Ho PHCHOLS URUPPO HULJ R. JAMBA 5. Jamieson A WC KWAN ASWLALISY Lat L. NM Lai BYC Law PLAMP CM LAM&K LAM J H Lane M M Y Lau

VRKIAPA O K LAWET X LA M C Lrung B1.K LEG C W T Leung ♬ $ Y LEUNG Y Ĉ Loung I. B Lavy I K Lewis A 5 Lloyd P 1. P Lon D P LunottarT K MAP McKnight ♬ $ F NG J 5 Nicolur.5 SMOK MROWEY KY PANG X Y X Sher J H SLATERT ST SO R1M SUN LN Toye C H Wong K K 5 Wong D L X Wu RWS WESM J WỤC T C YEUNG K K C Y1 AW M YU

*Notory Public

The Norton Rase resident partners

are consultants to Johnson Stokes & Master