TNAG-2962-FCO40-4241-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-building-incl-1993 — Page 94

MEETING WITH BRIAN MARR, TREASURY, TO DISCUSS CONDITIONS FOR

ACCOMMODATION OF BRITISH COUNCIL WITHIN THE HONG KONG

CONSULATE GENERAL BUILDING

Meeting at desk level - to be attended by representatives from HKD, RFD, CRD, OED and British Council on our side

Speaking Note

Grateful for opportunity to meet to discuss arrangements for British Council accommodation in the planned Consulate General

building in Hong Kong.

The British Council will move into the purpose built building in 1996/7 in implementation of Ministers' decision that the British presence in Hong Kong after 1997 should be commensurate with Britian's commitments to and interest in

Hong Kong.

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Background was that Ministers decided that collocation of the British presence in a high quality building was the best way to demonstrate this and that, accordingly, the British Council should be collocated with the Consulate. The land grant for the new building (which had to be cleared with the Chinese through the Sino British Land Commission) was obtained on the basis of a building which would house the British Council. The Private Treaty Grant governing the terms of the land grant makes specific provision for this collocation.

- Our understanding when we bid for funds for the project was that Treasury acceptance of the PES bid would ensure that the capital cost of creating the British Council accommodation would be funded from capital to be dedicated to the Council's specific purposes in Hong Kong after 1997. In those

treasury.CONGEN.dbj