TNAG-2959-FCO40-4238-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-building-incl-1993 — Page 18

Mr Morris

Morris

12

Reference

CC:

Mr Smith, OED

FUTURE CONSULATE GENERAL: CONSTRUCTION

1.

I attended an OED meeting in Croydon on 10 February. Present were Mr Bertram, Mr Brown, Mr Newey, Mr Whittle and Mr Smith. Main points to emerge were;

(i) Mr Muir had given Mr Bertram a very clear steer that there would be no new money from the Treasury.

(ii) Mr Bertram said that it would be "manageable" for OED to find another three to four million pounds from their own budget to make up the shortfall we had hoped to split with the Treasury.

(iii) OED were therefore not looking for cuts in addition to those already identified to the Steering Committee (but see below).

(iv) Farrells would brief OED on latest cost savings figures on 11 February. OED would then prepare a submission. This would "tell the story so far" and seek Ministers' approval for the construction. It would be a preliminary to approaching the Treasury for agreement to commit PES funds - and to ask for extra money to cover exchange fluctuations.

Detail and other points are set out below.

2.

Farrells' cost savings would be based on the deletion of the multi-purpose hall and one floor of the British Council, deletion of the procurement floor on the British Consulate side, deletion of the connection between the Consulate building and the British Council and deletion of two floors of residential accommodation, (ie the one

(ie the one on the procurement floor plus the ground floor flat). 40 car parking spaces at the rear of the security desk on level 1 would also be deleted as would the designated residential parking and the ramp connecting it to the next level. (The residential flats will still have parking Farrells are working on access for this).

3.

>>

This will still leave 7 flats the design brief called for 6. Removing the ground floor flat saves on the excavation which would have been needed for this flat making it far more expensive than the others. I asked about the executive dining room (near the link in the unrevised plan). This is apparently to be retained but resited elsewhere in the building.

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min.construction.NAT

JEB

CODE 18-77

IN

1 8 FEL 1993

IKY