Construction lobby calls for tighter regulations, even if it means less development

The Malta Developers Association has warned government it will no longer tolerate amateurism and incompetent people in the industry.

“[They] continue harming the reputation of an entire industry, causing widespread public frustration and justified anger in our country,” the developers lobby said.

The caution comes a week after the Prime Minister Robert Abela published the procès-verbal of the magisterial inquiry into the fatal incident that killed Jean Paul Sofia.

“For years, the MDA has been striving to bring in proper training, professionalism and a serious licensing regimen, not only for developers and contractors, but also for tile layers, installers of apertures and all kinds of operators working in this field,” the MDA said.

“These should also be recognized by the state and all the amateurs who don’t want to update their work practices for today's times, should be cut off once and for all.”

The association said it vets all membership applications diligently and does not accept everyone and anyone, especially those who claim to “be a developer” overnight.

“Absolute priority is given to all those of goodwill to see this industry meet all the necessary challenges to reduce both the danger and the inconvenience to people who have every right to live a tranquil life,” the MDA said.

It said government, rather than focus on “a lot of paperwork” to start a project, should ensure that who is behind each project and contractors have all the competent people required to be on site.

“This has to be done even if we are aware that the amount of development that is currently being made may decrease,” it said.