中融重建倫敦水晶宮計劃緣何流產
It took just eight months to build the grand Crystal Palace exhibition centre in 1851. But a proposal by Chinese developers to build a 500m replica of the original Victorian glass and iron structure in a park in south London led to more than two years of talks, only to collapse in March this year.
1851年，英國僅用8個月時間就建成了水晶宮(Crystal Palace)這座宏偉的展覽中心。中國開發商以5億英鎊重建水晶宮的計劃卻花了兩年多時間來談判，結果談判還在今年3月破裂了。水晶宮最初坐落在倫敦南部的一個公園內，是維多利亞時代的玻璃和鋼結構建築。
The failure to secure the deal underscores the challenges in business dealings between China and the UK.
談判無果突顯出中英在達成商業交易方面所面臨的挑戰。
The Hong Kong-based ZhongRong Group had planned to build a “cultural destination” in the spirit of the original with exhibition space, a hotel, conference facilities, galleries and sales rooms — a range of uses its organisers say would have created up to 2,000 jobs.
中融集團(ZhongRong Group)原本計劃恢復原建築物的風貌，建設一個“文化勝地”，將包括展會場所、一家酒店、會議設施、畫廊和拍賣場——組織者稱，這些用途本可創造多達2000個就業崗位。
But as is the accepted practice in China, ZhongRong Group expected to take possession of the land before it had secured planning permission and ahead of producing a detailed business plan accepted by Bromley council, the local authority responsible for the park.
但就像中國公認的做法一樣，中融集團希望在獲得規劃許可和編制一份布羅姆利區議會批准的詳細商業計劃書之前獲得土地所有權，布羅姆利區議會是該公園的地方主管當局。
Richard Ford, head of international planning at Pinsent Masons, which advised ZhongRong Group, said it came close to being agreed but floundered because of the different approach to planning between the two nations.
爲中融集團提供諮詢服務的品誠梅森律師事務所(PinsentMasons)的國際規劃主管理查德輠祹(Richard Ford)表示，協議曾接近達成，但因兩國的規劃慣例不同而流產。
“Chinese clients have told us that the state normally bends over backwards to deliver everything,” said Mr Ford. “In the UK that’s just not the case because of the legal requirements and duties to the electorate.”
“中國客戶告訴我們，國家通常會不遺餘力地辦成一切，”福特表示，“在英國，由於法律規定和對選民負有義務，情況卻並非如此。”
One of the key differences is that the Chinese are used to securing the land up-front before delivering on the terms of the contract. In the UK, developers only secure the land after fulfilling various contractual obligations including satisfying planning, business planning and funding criteria, such as pre-sales.
一個重大分歧在於，中方習慣於在履行合同條款前預先獲得土地。在英國，開發商只有在履行了各種合同義務後纔會獲得土地，包括滿足規劃、商業計劃和融資標準，例如預售。
The desire to secure the land beforehand is “not unique to the Chinese, but it’s not normal practice in the UK, particularly in the public sector, where mayoral and local authorities have to be more cautious”, said Mr Ford.
福特表示，預先獲得土地所有權的願望“並非中國人獨有，但在英國並非慣例，尤其是在公共部門，在這方面，市長和地方當局必須更爲謹慎”。
This was especially the case at Crystal Palace, where a 1990 act of parliament specified that any new building on the site must be in the spirit of the original.
水晶宮項目尤其如此，1990年的一項議會法案明確提出，任何在原址上的新建築都必須秉承原物風貌。
The council also failed to agree on how much of the park the ZhongRong Group would be allowed to develop.
此外，布羅姆利區議會未能就中融集團在該公園的開發範圍達成一致。
Stephen Carr, Conservative councillor for Bromley, said it would have been a “huge leap of faith” to proceed without planning consent. “If they had ownership of the site and didn’t get consent, they could potentially have redeveloped it as they wanted. I don’t think that would have happened but we are custodians of a significant site and international brand and we needed more certainty before we could hand it over.”
布羅姆利區議會的保守黨議員斯蒂芬慍爾(Stephen Carr)表示，在沒有得到規劃許可情況下推進項目將是“極大的冒險”。“如果他們擁有這塊地的所有權，但沒有獲得許可，他們可能會隨意改造。我不認爲會發生那樣的事情，但我們是這塊要地及國際品牌的看護人，在轉交之前我們需要更多確定性。”
Mr Ford suggested the government establish a middle ground that takes into account the differences in planning practices between the nations — for example, paying for a proportion of the land up-front, but not all of it. It could also look at reforming the planning system to consider international conventions such as the zoning of land for commercial, industrial or residential use.
福特建議，政府應找到一種折中途徑，將兩國之間規劃慣例的差異考慮在內，例如允許先行支付一定比例的土地款，但並非全部。英國政府還可以考慮改革規劃制度，考慮國際慣例，例如劃出特定區域用於商業、工業或住宅建設。
