Updated 6.35pm with PA comments
A Planning Authority scheme to fund the restoration of old house facades was oversubscribed within minutes of opening on Tuesday, crashing the PA application portal and leaving scores of architects frustrated.
The 'Irrestawra Darek' scheme opened at noon on Tuesday and was meant to remain open for a whole month.
But within minutes of opening, architects were unable to submit the required documents for their clients' scheme applications, with submissions returning server errors in their web browsers.
The PA closed the online system shortly afterwards, when it became clear that enough applications had been already submitted to use up all the allocated funds.
Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi told parliament that more than 350 applications were registered within the first few minutes of the scheme having opened - enough to take up the €4 million allocated for it by the PA.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the PA said it registered an "overwhelming response" from applicants.
More than 200 architects had submitted applications within minutes of the scheme opening, it said.
"As a result, the category for private owners of residences located within an Urban Conservation Area (UCA) has been closed due to high demand and over-subscription," it said.
"The evaluation process will be commencing shortly."
KTP slams 'farce' as architects locked out
Architects were taken by surprise by the rapid take-up of funds and their professional body, the Kamra tal-Periti, slammed the system as a "farce".
"I tried to submit my documents at 12:05pm, and the system was jammed," one architect told Times of Malta. "A colleague of mine who submitted his documents a couple of minutes earlier was told his application was the 420th in line."
Other architects who spoke to Times of Malta on Tuesday complained that the system was too slow and that the PA should have increased its capacity to cope with the influx of applications. Others argued it is only fair they are still given the chance to submit their documents.
The KTP was scathing in its criticism, saying the system meltdown "signalled the epitome of the Planning Authority’s disregard for the profession."
It said architects had wasted a week of work to prepare applications and would now have to face disappointed clients who may not want to pay for services rendered.
The KTP demanded an apology from the PA and said the scheme should reopen and operate on a lottery basis, rather than a first-come, first-served one.
It also proposed having the scheme run without an end date, with applicants placed on a waiting list until funds are made available again.
Suspicions of foul play
Some people on social media - and Opposition MPs in parliament - questioned whether the system operated fairly for all those who wanted to apply.
But Zrinzo Azzopardi insisted the online system could not be tampered with and registered all the data submitted as well as the time when documents were submitted.
"This is what happens when you have a first-come-first-served system in which there is a lot of interest - the spaces are taken immediately," he said.
"It's valid to discuss whether this scheme should remain on a first-come-first-served basis in the future, but it is unfair to cast doubts on its fairness," Zrinzo Azzopardi told parliament.
The PA issued its own statement to vehemently deny claims of foul play, saying it was untrue that certain architects got early access to the application portal.
"The scheme opened at noon as agreed with the Kamra Tal-Periti," it said.
A wildly popular scheme
The 'Irrestawra Darek' scheme has proven to be extremely popular in the past years. The last time it opened in 2019, all the funds were taken up within an hour.
The scheme was issued for the fourth time this year and allows owners of properties that are in Urban Conservation Areas or scheduled to claw back the costs of restoring their building facade.
Applicants who managed to submit their documents in time will get up to €11,000 for the cost of facade restoration works, in a bid to regenerate Malta's UCA while promoting investment in the restoration, conservation, and maintenance of the country's built heritage.
The PA allocated €4 million to owners of UCA properties as part of the scheme. A second part of the scheme is still scheduled to open for Grade 1 and 2 residential properties on June 6, with a budget of €1 million.
Submissions must be done by a local warranted perit on behalf of the homeowner, after all the necessary quotes have been collected from the contractors that will carry out the works.
Since the scheme was announced earlier this month, several restoration contractors also reported a higher-than-usual rate of requests for quotes.
The PA funds the scheme through its controversial regularisation process, which allows property developers to obtain a clean bill of health for properties that were built in breach of planning laws.