The current crisis is an opportunity to work on further reform in the construction sector, needed so that the industry can pick up on the right foot once the island emerges from the present critical situation, the President of the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, Simone Vella Lenicker, has said.

“If you had asked me whether I am confident that things will get better any time soon last August, when the Government presented its letter of commitment to the Chamber of Architects, I would have immediately replied that I was more than confident that things would change.

However, since then, we have passed through two periods of uncertainty, first with the political situation in the country, and, now, with the Coronavirus pandemic,” she asserted.

She affirmed the urgency of implementing the proposals now, to ensure progress when the situation stabilizes.

The immediate priority, she said, was to implement points in the letter of commitment the Government presented.

Among other things, the document refers to the setting up of the Building and Construction Authority; amending the Periti Act, which regulates the conduct of architects; and an overhaul of the industry.

She criticised the legal notice that came into force in June 2019, aiming at avoiding damage to third-party property, saying it was not a reform but only an attempt to address just one part of the building sector.

To remedy the lacunae, Perit Vella Lenicker said she was also hopeful the panel of experts set up by the Government will consider the study themed A Modern Building and Construction Regulation Framework for Malta released by the Chamber of Architects in May 2019 as part of its assessment, and that it will adopt the proposals made.

The document refers to the absence of registration, licensing and the training of contractors and labourers, but the Chamber President said the Chamber is not aware of any progress in this regard.

In more recent developments, the panel, appointed by Prime Minister Robert Abela after the building collapse in Ħamrun in which mother-of-two Miriam Pace, 54, died, will be studying excavation and construction regulations, among other issues.

It is currently headed by retired Judge Lawrence Quintano, and includes geological and structural engineer Adrian Mifsud, construction-related court expert Mario Cassar, and lawyer Mark Simiana. No deadline has been set on when its recommendations should be submitted.

However, Dr Abela said the experts should complete their work as soon as possible. “Every player in the industry needs to acknowledge their share of the blame for the prevailing situation, whether it is through negligence, lack of knowledge, exercising undue pressure or simply being complacent and not demanding change,” Perit Vella Lenicker said.

Indeed, all those working on construction sites, including all professionals, should exercise due diligence in their work, placing safety at the centre of whatever they do, she underlined.

“The Chamber of Architects has been pushing for changes to the Periti Act since 2007. The changes include additional measures that would enable it to better manage this role, empowering it to also impose additional requirements on defaulting members of the profession,” Perit Vella Lenicker noted.

This is an extract of a feature carried in the March edition of The Malta Business Observer