CIR 07/26 | Planning Permit Expiry Notifications, Suspension Of The Land Registration System
The Council of the Kamra tal-Periti would like to bring to your attention the following updates.
1. Notifications on the expiry of planning permits
The Planning Authority (PA) has started issuing notifications to permit holders and their periti about development permissions that are due to expire.
The notifications follow an administrative error that affected a number of permits. When the first extension to the validity of development permissions was granted in 2020, the updated expiry date was displayed inaccurately on the planning portal. The PA has since corrected this error. It has also decided to automate these notifications so that permit holders and their periti are informed before the actual expiry date.
The Council recommends that periti independently verify the original expiry date of any permit they are responsible for. They should also check that the correct extensions under S.L. 552.30 and S.L. 552.33 have been applied. This is particularly important where a perit has been engaged by a client to apply for a renewal before the permit expires.
Periti are reminded that the information published on the planning portal does not determine the validity of a development permission. Validity runs from the date the decision was published in the Government Gazette, as shown on the decision notice, plus any extensions granted by legal notice. An expired permit cannot be renewed, even where the planning portal shows an incorrect expiry date.
2. Temporary suspension of the Land Registration System
The Kamra tal-Periti has been informed by the Land Registration Agency that it has temporarily suspended the operation of the Land Registration System (LRS) as a precautionary security measure.
The suspension follows the identification by the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) of a high-risk cybersecurity vulnerability affecting numerous systems worldwide, including other government systems. The Agency has informed the Kamra that its service providers are working with Microsoft to address the vulnerability. The LRS will be restored once the Agency is satisfied that the system can safely be brought back online. Further information on the matter is available here.
The Agency has acknowledged the disruption that this suspension may cause to periti and their clients. The Council will inform members as soon as further updates are received.
At this moment, the Council is not aware of similar problems affecting portals of other public entities.
