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CIR 16/20 | Various Updates

Through this Circular, the Council of the Kamra tal-Periti would like to bring to your attention a number of matters, as follows:

1. Call for Court Experts

The Courts of Justice are in the process of renewing the list of architects and civil engineers that may be nominated as experts by the Courts. The Kamra tal-Periti invites those periti who are interested in providing their services to submit their details by no later than the 5th October 2020 at this link.

 

2. Periti Warranting Board

As reported by the Kamra on 23rd September 2020, the Electoral Commission notifies that it has duly received 2 (two) nominations from periti interested in sitting on the Periti Warranting Board, namely:

 

Grech Alfred    404054M         6, Triq San Pawl, Attard

Zammit Ivan    120475M         ‘Rivendell’, 81, Triq San Mikiel, Zurrieq

 

All periti are entitled to vote in a secret ballot for not more that one candidate.  Voting will take place on Friday 2nd October 2020, between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm (uninterruptedly) at the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Blk A – Boardroom, Francesco Buonamici Street, Floriana.

To vote, every perit must present his/her ID Card or another official photo identity document.  The voter must mark a cross (X) in the box on the ballot paper next to the name of not more than one (1) candidate. Counting of votes shall take place immediately upon closure of the poll.

 

3. Legal Notice 374 of 2020 – Amendment to Sanitary Regulations

Through the coming into force of Legal Notice 374 of 2020, the minimum clear internal height of parking levels is now 2.10m.

 

4. Legal Notice 375 of 2020 – Amendment to Regularisation Regulations

Regulation 7 regarding the expiry date and increase in fees for the Regularisation Regulations has been repealed with immediate effect through Legal Notice 375 of 2020. This means that the cut-off date has been removed, and the fees will not be increasing as previously established.

 

5. Notification re membership expiry

A number of periti have received automated messages from our website regarding membership expiry. We are looking into the matter with our IT support. Kindly note that membership ends on 31st December of each year. You can verify the status of your membership by logging into your profile on the website.

The automated email is meant to serve as a reminder to periti to plan for their renewal, as well as to inform them about the 20% discount for those who renew before 31st January. We are working on correcting the automated message and apologise for any inconvenience.

 

6. Premises for rent

The premises of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations (MFPA), of which the Kamra tal-Periti is a member, includes a shop which is currently vacant.

 

The area of the shop is circa 40 sqm.  It comprises one large front room overlooking the main road,  and a second room comprising toilet with shower. This shop is air conditioned. The premises can also be leased as an office/clinic but this can be discussed with the interested party/ parties. The rent for the first 2 years is €15/day.  Rent will increase to €17/day for the following two years and to €20/day for the fifth year.  Agreement  will be for 5 years, with one year notice to end or continue the lease agreement.

Any interested persons are requested to contact the Federation on 99471287 or via email info@mfpa.org.mt.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

Simone Vella Lenicker
President

 

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Courts Registrar issues new call for Experts for 2021

The Registrar of the Courts of Justice of Malta has issued a call for Court Experts in terms of Art. 89 of Chapter 12 of the Laws of Malta.

The Kamra tal-Periti is hereby notifying all interested members of the profession to submit their nomination for 2019 through the registration form below.

Deadline for the submission of nominations was 5th October, 2020.

 

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Notification of Nominations for Warranting Board Elections 2020

NOTICE

By the Electoral Commission

BORD TAL-WARRANT TAL-PERITI

With reference relative to the circular dated 14th September and the advert published on local newspapers on 1th September 2020, the Electoral Commission hereby notifies that it has received the following nominations:

Grech Alfred    404054M         6, Triq San Pawl, Attard

Zammit Ivan    120475M         ‘Rivendell’, 81, Triq San Mikiel, Zurrieq

 

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Call for Nominations for Warranting Board Elections 2020

NOTICE

By the Electoral Commission

BORD TAL-WARRANT TAL-PERITI

The Secretary to the Board notifies that nominations for the election of one member to the Bord tal-Warrant tal-Periti shall be received on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September 2020 between 10:00 am and noon at the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Boardroom Blk A, Francesco Buonamici Street, Beltissebh, Floriana.

Nomination papers may be obtained from the Board Secretary at Blk A of the same address as above.

The Election shall be held on Friday 2nd October 2020 between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. Full details, nomination papers and regulations have been posted to all eligibile warrant holding Periti and can be downloaded by clicking below.

Nomination Form
Election Regulations

 

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PR 10/20 | No time for further delay

Verżjoni bil-Malti

This morning, yet another worker lost his life on a construction site following the collapse of a wall within the site. While the details of the incident are still emerging, one thing is amply clear: the construction industry is rife with systemic and fundamental deficiencies that must be addressed without further delay.

While the Kamra tal-Periti is fully cognisant of Government’s efforts in the past months to draft legislation that will bring about the much needed changes, it is evident that the lack of focus and resources is severely hampering progress in this respect. The outcome of the recommendations by the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister have still to be made public, and despite several lengthy meetings with the various stakeholders in the industry we are still far off from seeing significant results.

This situation is no longer tenable. Further delay is not an option.

On its part, after urging successive governments to bring about significant changes to the industry since 2007, the Kamra tal-Periti had published its draft proposals for A Modern Building and Construction Regulation Framework in May 2019. These were presented to all industry stakeholders, including the Chamber of Engineers, the Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Consultative Council, the Building Regulation Board, the Building Regulation Office, the Building and Construction Agency, the Planning Authority, the Malta Developers Association, and the Malta Insurers Association. All these entities and organisations endorsed the Kamra’s proposals and there is therefore industry-wide consensus that such proposals are both necessary and desirable.

The proposals were also presented to the European Commission and the Opposition, as well as to Government which, through a Letter of Commitment issued in August 2019, finally recognised the need for a comprehensive reform of the building and construction industry, and committed itself to implement the Kamra’s proposals.

After having taken on board all the feedback received, the Kamra tal-Periti published the final version of its proposals in June, and were positively received by the industry.

Read the Kamra’s proposals for a comprehensive reform of the construction industry here

The Kamra tal-Periti urges the Prime Minister and the Ministers responsible for the industry in all its aspects to fulfil Government’s commitments of last August without further delay. It is unacceptable that a country which aspires to portray itself as “the best in Europe” remains complacent to these tragedies which have become all too common. The country deserves better.

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CIR 15/20 | Breach of Legal Notice 136 of 2019 – Site Technical Officer fraud

It has come to the Kamra’s attention that a person who is not qualified to take on the role of Site Technical Officer has, on a number of occasions, presented himself to Permit Holders as being qualified to take on such role and subsequently signed the Site Responsibility Form, which was then unwittingly uploaded by the periti responsible for the respective projects.

After being alerted to this matter, the Bulding and Construction Agency (BCA) advised such person that this was unacceptable. Said person, however, persisted in trying to defraud the system by presenting Permit Holders with Forms apparently signed by, to our knoweldge, at least two different periti, however it later transpired that such periti had not signed such Forms, and that their signatures had been copied and used without their consent. This latter fraudulent action has been reported to the BCA for the necessary action to be taken.

Periti are reminded that:

  • Only persons who have been authorised by the BCA to provide the service of STO should be indicated on the relevant Forms – the list of registered persons is updated regularly and may be viewed here;
  • According to Legal Notice 136 of 2019, as amended, the Site Technical Officer shall be “nominated by the contractor and shall be accepted by the perit in charge of the project”, and that as part of its discussions with Government, the Kamra had only agreed to the requirement for periti to “accept” the STO as long as a list of registered persons is published and regularly maintained – refer to point 3.1.2 of the Letter of Commitment which Government presented to the Kamra in August 2019, and further elaborated in Ciircular 14/19.

 

In view of this situation, it is recommended that periti go through their active projects and ensure that the appointed STOs are in fact indicated on the STO register, and that such persons are aware of being indicated in this role. In case of any anomalies, periti are requested to immediately inform the BCA, copying the Kamra tal-Periti, for further action.

 

The Council cannot stress enough the importance of adherence to legislation, in view of the serious consequences that may arise in cases of incidents on construction sites.

Yours sincerely,

Simone Vella Lenicker
President

 

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PR 09/20 | Kamra tal-Periti celebrates its centenary

Verżjoni bil-Malti

Today the Kamra tal-Periti celebrates a century of service to the profession and to society.

The foundations of the Kamra were laid amid the Sette Giugno uprisings of 1919 when, despite the turmoil brought about by the riots and the end of the Spanish flu pandemic, the new Governor, Field Marshall Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer brought into force the Architects’ Ordinance on the 25th July 1919. Less than a year later, on the 12th June 1920, he enacted Government Notice 202, which established the Chamber of Architects, now known as the Kamra tal-Periti.

As the sole recognised professional body representing architects and civil engineers in Malta, the Kamra’s  mission is to support members of the profession in achieving excellence in their practice of architecture and engineering in the interest of the community. It is also delegated with the duty of enquiring into any charge of professional misconduct or abuse made against any periti in connection with the exercise of their profession or with professional matters.

Over the years, the Kamra tal-Periti has established itself as the voice of the profession, and has taken on the role of promoting values of economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability amongst its members, as well as promoting beauty in architecture and the built environment.

General Meeting of the Camera degli Architetti

As it traces its roots over the past century, the Kamra tal-Periti is now looking towards a future which is founded on a key set of principles: Quality, design, community, progress, identity, innovation, culture, sustainability. These are the elements that must shape our built environment, forging the very essence of the spaces we inhabit in the present, and for generations to come.

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CIR 14/20 | COVID-19 Pandemic: Lifting of restrictions // Update 7

By means of Legal Notice 232 of 2020, Government repealed a number of Legal Notices published during the pandemic, including the Protection of Vulnerable Persons Order, 2019.

In view of this, Directive 11/20 regarding Vulnerable Individuals & Site Inspections is hereby repealed.

Although certain restrictions have been released, it is noted that the pandemic has not yet been declared to be over, and therefore certain measures should still be implemented, particularly those relating to social distancing. Reference is here made to Circular 13/20, which presents various recommendations that may be followed as applicable.

Meanwhile, kindly note that the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) has issued a document entitled ‘COVID-19 and your Workplace: FAQs’, which brings together the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 and workplaces.

 

Yours sincerely,

Simone Vella Lenicker
President

 

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PR 08/20 | A Modern Building and Construction Regulation Framework

Verżjoni bil-Malti

In May 2019, the Kamra tal-Periti had published its draft proposals for A Modern Building and Construction Regulation Framework. These were presented to all industry stakeholders, including the Chamber of Engineers, the Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Consultative Council, the Building Regulation Board, the Building Regulation Office, the Building and Construction Agency, the Planning Authority, the Malta Developers Association, and the Malta Insurers Association. All these entities and organisations endorsed the Kamra’s proposals and there is therefore industry-wide consensus that such proposals are both necessary and desirable.

The proposals were also presented to the European Commission and the Opposition, as well as to Government which, through a Letter of Commitment issued in August 2019, finally recognised the need for a comprehensive reform of the building and construction industry, and committed itself to implement the Kamra’s proposals.

After having taken on board all the feedback received over the past 12 months, the Kamra tal-Periti has now published the final version of its proposals. These are focused around ten main principles, namely:

  1. The separation of planning permit and building permit processes;
  2. Clear well-organised regulatory processes designed to promote public safety and quality, in the interest of the consumer, rather than being focused on ascribing blame post-accident;
  3. Clear distinction between the regulations governing building (the permanent works) and those governing construction processes and temporary works;
  4. The proposed Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is to take on the consolidated role of the assessment of buildings, building authorisations, enforcement, and monitoring of the construction processes, with the 22 public entities hitherto entrusted with the different areas of interest, becoming key stakeholders in the drafting of regulations and guidance documents;
  5. Major projects and public buildings to be subjected to an independent review, particularly in terms of structural design and fire engineering through the introduction of a new professional figure (Engineering Auditor);
  6. Contractors are to have the specific skills required, and to be classified and licensed according to such skills – they will be solely responsible for the process of construction, including temporary works, and would therefore have full possession of construction sites for the duration of the works;
  7. The enforcement of construction regulations to be delegated to private service providers – referred to as Building and Construction Inspectors (BCIs) – licensed by the BCA;
  8. Contractors to be required to certify that the executed works comply with the design instructions, and with the requirements of the Construction Products Directive;
  9. The construction phase will be concluded by the issuance by the BCA of a Compliance Certificate, which, inter alia, authorises that the building can be brought into use; and
  10. Post-occupancy checks and audits to be undertaken as predetermined by the BCA to ensure the continued compliance of the structure with building regulations.

The launch of these proposals is not the end of a process. It is the beginning of a new era in the building and construction industry. COVID-19 has highlighted the lack of sustainability of our previous ways – now is the perfect opportunity to look to the future with a new vision … a vision that is more sustainable, that still focuses on economic progress but that places more emphasis on safety and quality.

 

The Kamra tal-Periti is fully committed to ensure that these proposals are implemented and assures Government of its full cooperation in achieving this leap forward, bringing the industry firmly and squarely into the 21st century.

A Modern Building & Construction Regulation Framework for Malta

Download PDF copy

 

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