The Malta Chamber of Planners said no planning system can function properly unless the government regulates the manner in which planners are trained and permitted to practise their profession.

In a message congratulating Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on his re-election, the chamber said: "Many people, including members of the political class harbour the inaccurate belief that planners are architects/engineers. This is far from the truth, as planning is a distinct profession, which is backed up by an educational regime that is totally different to that used to train architects. "In the same manner that one cannot run a health system without proper medical training and a law which regulates the activity of medical doctors, one cannot have a healthy planning system without a proper and well-developed planning education set-up at the University of Malta and a law that regulates the eligibility and activities of persons interested in following a career in professional planning," the chamber said.

In the absence of such a law, it is not possible for the Maltese planning system to function adequately. "It is unfortunate that, in the first years of the life of the current Maltese planning system, little has been done in this regard," the chamber said.