The United States government, through its embassy in Colombo, is looking for land to build a new embassy compound in Colombo.
Director of Press and Cultural Affairs at the US Embassy Jeff Anderson told The Sunday Times FT that the reasons for shifting locations is part of an ongoing worldwide project started 10 years ago by the State Department and the US government to update embassies all over the world. "We have rebuilt or reconstructed about sixty new embassies from London, Berlin, Baghdad, Tunisia and Malta," he said. "The idea is to create more modern, state of the art facilities for our embassies and better public spaces and Sri Lanka was next on the list."
He said the move was not connected to any security concerns in the current location. The shift in location however will take some time and completed by 2013. “It’s a long time down the road.”
Mr Anderson said the process began internationally after attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania which raised awareness about the need for security and modernisation.
“It’s not the building per se that needs space but the area where there has to be a certain distance between the building and the perimeter,” he added.
Mr. Anderson added that the embassies have specific requirements which were outlined in a recent newspaper advertisement. According to the ad, the US government is seeking 20,000 to 40,000 square metres of relatively flat land in a square or rectangular shape with two independent points of access from paved roads within the city limits of Colombo. The advertisement further stated that all utilities should be available to the site which should be in an area appropriate for the location of a diplomatic mission in Colombo. It said all information from land owners must be submitted by January 23 to be considered.
The area sought is between five to 10 acres compared to the current location which is about three acres. Real estate developers said it is difficult to find that kind of land in Colombo city, the size of which is about the extent of the BMICH or Royal College.
Other sources said US government officials had considered the adjoining British High Commission property in Kollupitiya which is up for sale but didn’t find it suitable enough.
The US embassy moved to the present site in 1984 from its earlier location which is where the American Centre or USIS is housed. The USIS, many years ago, was located at Galle Face Court, opposite the Galle Face Hotel, and then shifted to Flower Road becoming moving to the present premises.
Meanwhile no buyer has yet been selected for the former British High Commission property.
Bids for the former High Commission property on Galle Road, which went up for sale last year, are still being evaluated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of Britain. Bids for the sprawling 434 perches of waterfront concluded in August 2008. Navinda Samarawickreme from Schokman & Samarawickreme, the exclusive marketing agent selected to sell the property by the FCO, told The Sunday Times FT this week that no bidders have been selected and the FCO is still in the process of going through the bids and doing a study of them. "They are in no hurry to sell the property," he said.
The property is located in a high security zone opposite Temple Trees. The property was valued by Savills Australia, a global real estate service provider, to be worth around Rs.1 billion. Approximately 12 expressions of interest were received. |
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