Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1241994
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 APRIL 2020 NEWS JAMES DEBONO AN agreement between the Building Regulation Office and the Malta Developers Associ- ation to compile a registry of contractors published in 2019 was illegal according to Planning Ombudsman Alan Saliba. The Ombudsman called on the Building Regulation Office to immediately remove adverts on the media in which it was pro- moting the register of contrac- tors compiled by the Malta De- velopers Association, and called on the BRO to compile its own register. This emerges from the case notes which document the main cases tackled by the Ombudsman in 2019. The National Contractors Reg- istry was set up in July 2019, in a joint initiative with the Building Regulation Office, and includes details about all contractors cur- rently operating in Malta, includ- ing those carrying out excavation and demolition, as well as brick- layers and builders. More than 600 contractors reg- istered themselves with the Malta Developers Association (MDA). When faced with the investi- gation of the Ombudsman, the BRO tried to evade scrutiny by claiming that the Planning Om- budsman only has jurisdiction on the workings of the Planning Au- thority and the Environment and Resources Authority, according to the Ombudsman Act. Subsequently the commis- sioner informed the BRO that as a government entity that falls within the remit of the Ombuds- man, the case was delegated to the Commissioner for Environ- ment and Planning in terms of the Ombudsman Act, as has been done during the past seven years. The BRO replied that it reached an understanding with the MDA to draw up a list of industry op- erators who are willing to "volun- tarily submit their details" for on- ward publication, in order to take stock of the current situation, in- sisting that there is nothing at law which prohibits such an initiative and that a register as established by law would be compiled at a later stage. But the Ombudsman conclud- ed that the MDA did not require the blessing of the BRO in order to compile this register, and that the agreement between the BRO and the MDA was against the law which states that the same register must be compiled by the BRO. "Furthermore, the law does pro- hibit the involvement of the BRO in such a register being compiled by a third-party so much so that the law does not only list who may delegate such functions (that is, the Minister) but also onto whom these functions may- be delegated (that is any other Government department or body corporate established by law which the MDA does not form part of)". After the BRO failed to reply the case was referred to the Prime Minister and subsequently also to the House of Representatives. 'Illegal' Ombudsman decries regulator and MDA contractors registry MDA President Sandro Chetcuti and MDA representative Michael Stivala A group of 20 NGOs active in environmen- tal and social awareness have written to Prime Minister Robert Abela requesting a meeting with him and environment min- ister Aaron Farrugia to discuss a proposal to have hunters' lobby FKNK manage the woodlands at il-Miżieb and l-Aħrax. "In our view, Cabinet will be endorsing the privatisation of two very important public open spaces which are currently enjoyed by Maltese citizens. Should the agreement with the FKNK go ahead, this would mean that for nine out of twelve months, nobody oth- er than a few FKNK licensees would be able to visit and enjoy these areas. FKNK have confirmed this themselves in the media," spokesperson Wayne Flask said. The statement is signed by, among others, Movement Graffitti, BirdLife, the Francis- can Friars, the Chamber of Architects, and Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar. "We are deeply concerned at this, espe- cially in light of the fact that these popular spots are two of only very few similar areas where the population can enjoy a breath of fresh air. We feel that the further restriction of access to open spaces to accommodate a minority lobby is an injustice will be damag- ing to society at large." The NGOs say they were shocked at the secretive way the proposal had been made in Cabinet without the minimum consider- ation for the public and its wellbeing. "That the public had to learn of this through a me- dia leak confirms our worst fears – that this is a done deal which was meant to be an- nounced and fast-tracked without any con- sultation whatsoever. This jars completely with the promise of lobbying transparency. FKNK themselves have also confirmed that they are in touch with Cabinet on the mat- ter, however we wonder why no such luxury has been afforded to us." The letter was signed by the Archaeolog- ical Society of Malta, BICREF, Bicycle Ad- vocacy Group, BirdLife Malta, Din L-Art Ħelwa, Extinction Rebellion Malta, Flimk- ien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Franciscan Friars (OFM) Malta, Friends of the Earth Mal- ta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, Għaqda Siġar Maltin, Isles of the Left, Kamra tal-Periti, Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU), Movi- ment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, NASoM (Noise Abatement Society Malta), Outdoor Recreation and Camping Association Mal- ta, Ramblers Association Malta, and The Grow 10 Trees Project. NGOs write to Abela over Mizieb and l-Ahrax woodlands' 'privatisation' The 2019 Mizieb fires: their likeliest cause was the burning of pruned branches in some adjacent fields