MEPA extends compliance certificate validity

The validity period of a compliance certificate issued by MEPA will, as of today, increase from six weeks to three months.

This latest initiative forms part of a series of measures which MEPA has started to introduce over the past weeks to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape.   

Over the years, MEPA has been making use of the compliance certificate is to ensure that development has been carried out in accordance with the relevant development permission, prior to the provision of water and electricity supplies.

In applying for a compliance certificate, an applicant through an architect declares that the development as built is entirely in conformity with the approved plans and permit conditions. A compliance certificate is issued on the strength of this declaration.

In cases where, following a site inspection, the authority finds that there are still pending permit requirements that can easily be addressed, the application for a compliance certificate, will not be refused but returned to the applicant, giving the same applicant the chance to ensure that all permit requirements are addressed. If the application is re-submitted within four weeks, than the €60 fee will not need to be repaid.

The period for a re-submission of an application for a compliance certificate, related to the concession scheme, known as the CTB application, is also being increased from four weeks to three months. The concession into granting a partial compliance was introduced last year for owners of residences that have an existing minor irregularity which is not creating a disturbance to neighbours.

MEPA chief executive Johann Buttigieg said: "The introduction of this new procedure is intended to cut down on the needless bureaucratic practices we have been burdening applicants with. We remind and request of all architects to keep in mind the accuracy being entailed in the professional declaration that they make when applying for Compliance Certificates."

All compliance certificates which are still valid as of the 24^th July 2013, will benefit from this new measure and have the validity of their certificate automatically extended to three months from the date of issue. Applicants are requested to contact the Enforcement Directorate within MEPA to benefit from this extension.

All compliance certificate applications which have been returned to the applicant, and whose re-submission period had not yet elapsed as of the 24^th July 2013 will automatically have their re-submission period extended to three months from the date when the application was returned.

The new procedures were discussed and agreed to by the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Development Planning.