Construction watchdog for 'grossly unregulated industry' on the cards

A new regulator will oversee the construction industry amalgamating several existing bodies into one, the Times of Malta has learnt. Government sources on Monday said a public consultation on the new body would begin shortly, with the actual regulator expected to be up and running in the next few months.  The new body is expected to consolidate many of the functions of the Building Regulations Board, the Building Industry Consultative Council and the Masons Board. It will also act as a one-stop shop for an industry that is “grossly under-regulated”.  TIMES TALK: 'Let's not kill the goose that lays the golden egg,' says MDA chief “The situation we have today just isn’t working. Many know that the scattered approach hasn’t been working for several years and it can’t be allowed to carry on like this,” sources working on the planned reform said.  The dangers posed by unscrupulous developers and the lack of coherent enforcement was cast in the national spotlight this year following a series of incidents at construction sites. In September, the Times of Malta reported on a number of roofs that caved in after cranes dropped loads of bricks on neighbouring buildings during construction...