Sri Lanka’s Urban Development Authority is looking for land in the Kotte areas to move the offices of the President, Prime Minister and severa, state agencies from their current colonial era buildings, a media report said.
The buildings will then be leased to investors for tourism for 30-years, Sri Lanka’s The Sunday Times newspaper reported.
“On the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, UDA was looking for alternative land in the Sri Jaywardenapura-Kotte area to have the administrative complex in one location,” UDA Director General, Prasad Ranaweera, was quoted as saying in the newspaper
“After the identification of the location UDA hopes to report back to the President to draw out plans for a phased shift of the buildings.”
Some of the buildings date back to the British Colonial period.
Under a proposed ‘New Colombo Heritage City Plan’, the President’s House, the Secretariat, Temple Trees building and the Prime Minister’s office on Flower Road are likely to be protected as tourist attractions, the report said.
The General Post Office, the Foreign Ministry building, Police Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters, Navy Headquarters, Visumpaya, Shrvasthi (former MP’s hostel), the Gafoor building, the Irrigation Department building at Jawatte Road, the Welikada Prisons and the old Defence Ministry building at Galle Face have also been identified to be leased out.
The Sunday Times quoted Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga as saying that discussion are underway with potential investors including from Georgia.