Physical Planning Regulations, 2020
This section gives the short citation for the Regulations.
- Jurisdiction
- Malawi
- Instrument
- Regulation
- Version
- 17 Jul 2020
- Language
- en
- Official source
- View official record ↗
Statute overview
About this statute
This section gives the short citation for the Regulations. This section defines “Board” and “Registrar” for these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires. An applicant for registration as a physical planner must complete and sign the prescribed form, submit the application to the Registrar, and pay the application fee to the Board when lodging the application. A registration application must be supported by specified documents. The Board may accept or reject registration or renewal applications, must give written reasons for any rejection, and must issue a registration certificate if it accepts an application.
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Provisions of Physical Planning Regulations, 2020
Showing 14 of 14
Part 1
Preliminary
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Section 1
This section gives the short citation for the Regulations.
1. Citation These Regulations may be cited as the Physical Planning (Physical Planners) Regulations, 2020. - 2 Verify source ↗
Section 2
This section defines “Board” and “Registrar” for these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires.
2. Interpretation In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires— “ Board ” means the Physical Planners Board established under section 73 of the Act; and “ Registrar ” means the Registrar appointed under section 82 of the Act.
Part II
Registration of physical planners
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Procedure for registration
An applicant for registration as a physical planner must complete and sign the prescribed form, submit the application to the Registrar, and pay the application fee to the Board when lodging the application.
3. Procedure for registration (1) An applicant for registration as a physical planner shall complete and sign the form set out in the First Schedule hereto. (2) An application under this regulation shall be submitted to the Registrar . (3) An applicant shall pay to the Board at the time of lodging his application the application fee under the Second Schedule hereto. - 4 Verify source ↗
Documents in application
A registration application must be supported by specified documents.
4. Documents in application An application for registration shall be supported by— (a) a statutory declaration made by the applicant in the form set out in the Third Schedule hereto; (b) certified copies of any degrees, postgraduate diplomas or certificates on which the applicant relies as qualifications for registration; or (c) in the case of an applicant for registration whose name has changed since the grant of his qualification, the legal document which provides evidence of such change of name. - 5 Verify source ↗
Acceptance or refusal of registration
The Board may accept or reject registration or renewal applications, must give written reasons for any rejection, and must issue a registration certificate if it accepts an application.
5. Acceptance or refusal of registration (1) The Board may accept or reject an application for registration or renewal of registration. (2) The Board may reject an application if, in its opinion the applicant, notwithstanding the fact that he is otherwise qualified, is not a fit and proper person to be registered because of— (a) physical or mental health; (b) bad character and reputation; (c) inadequate knowledge of the English language; or (d) prior misconduct. (3) An applicant shall have an opportunity to be heard in support of his application. (4) Where the Board — (a) accepts an application for registration under these Regulations, it shall issue to the applicant a registration certificate in the form prescribed in the Fourth Schedule hereto; and (b) rejects an application for registration or renewal of registration, it shall give reasons for the rejection in writing. - 6 Verify source ↗
Registration fees
Application fees for registering as a physical planner are non-refundable, and registration fees must be paid every year by 30 June.
6. Registration fees (1) An application fee for registration as a physical planner shall not be refundable. (2) Registration fees shall be payable annually not later than 30th June of each year. (3) Where the registration fees or any part thereof remain unpaid for more than thirty days after the due date, a penalty of fifty per cent of the amount due shall be imposed and shall become part of the amount due and payable. (4) There shall be no reduction, proportionate or otherwise, in the amount of the fee payable even if the remaining period to the next 31st March from the date of registration or from the date of payment of the amount due is less than twelve months. - 7 Verify source ↗
List of registered planners to be published in the Gazette
The Registrar must publish a Gazette copy of the register listing all registered physical planners soon after 30 June each year.
7. List of registered planners to be published in the Gazette The Registrar shall, soon after 30th June of each year, publish in the Gazette a copy of the register containing a list of all registered physical planners, as prescribed in the Fifth Schedule hereto. - 8 Verify source ↗
Notification of change of address
A physical planner must notify the Registrar within 14 days if their business or correspondence address changes.
8. Notification of change of address Every physical planner shall notify the Registrar of any change in his business or correspondence address, as the case may be, within fourteen days of the change.
Part III
Code of conduct of physical planners
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Primary obligations of planners
A physical planner must uphold the profession’s reputation, perform duties fairly and impartially, work with care and confidentiality, and avoid dishonesty, fraud, deceit, corruption, or misrepresentation.
9. Primary obligations of planners A physical planner shall— (a) conduct himself in such a manner as to uphold the reputation of the profession; (b) discharge his duties with fairness and impartiality to the public, his employer and clients with efficiency, competence and confidentiality, without undue delay; (c) exercise care in the performance of his duties, including adherence to workplace safety obligations and responsibilities; and (d) not engage in conduct involving dishonesty', fraud, deceit, corruption or misrepresentation. - 10 Verify source ↗
Competence and other considerations
A physical planner must follow competence, honesty, impartiality, credit, notification, advertising, pricing, and non-discrimination rules when carrying out professional work.
10. Competence and other considerations A physical planner shall— (a) only undertake work for the execution of which his training and experience have rendered him competent and employ only adequately qualified personnel as demanded by the task for which he is employed; (b) maintain, develop and employ appropriate levels of knowledge and skills for the task for which he is employed; (c) refrain from either personally or through the agency of another person, whether or not such person is in his employ, make or offer to make by way of commission or otherwise, payment or other consideration for the obtaining of professional employment; (d) not misrepresent data or its relative significance in any physical planning report; (e) not knowingly permit the publication or use of his data, reports, maps, or other professional documents for unlawful purposes; (f) only express professional opinions and make statements that have a basis in fact or experience or accepted principles and on the basis of adequate knowledge and when required to give evidence with fairness and honesty without prejudice or discrimination; (g) be fair and impartial in the provision of advice and judgement to an employer or any other party to a planning project in which he is involved; (h) attribute proper credit to others for their professional work or professional contribution and not misappropriate the professional work of others; (i) not claim as his own, or suppress, work carried out and recommendations made by any other planner nor alter work done by another planner in such a way as to distort the latter’s professional opinion; (j) not undertake any duties or carry out any instructions of an employer or supervisor which involve making statements purporting to be his own but which are contrary to his bona fide professional opinion, and must not instruct any other planner to do so; (k) undertake to notify another planner where, to his knowledge, the other planner has prior appointment relating to any work he is being approached for possible appointment; (l) not act in a professional capacity for a public body without notifying, as a matter of courtesy, the most senior planner in that body; (m) be modest in scale and frequency when advertising for his professional work as a planner; (n) undercut when charging his clients: or (o) not, in undertaking his professional activities, discriminate on any ground. - 11 Verify source ↗
Avoidance of unfair competition
A physical planner must build a reputation on merit and must not engage in unfair competition.
11. Avoidance of unfair competition A physical planner shall build his reputation on merit and shall refrain from any form of unfair competition, including— (a) use of a professional designation to which he has no entitlement; (b) the offer of inducements to secure work or advancement; (c) the undermining of another planner with prior appointment relating to any work; or (d) breach of the regulatory framework of physical planning. - 12 Verify source ↗
Conflict Of interest Generally
Physical planners must avoid conflicts of interest, disclose relevant conflict details before taking exceptional conflicted engagements, and report any gifts, commissions, or discounts linked to their work.
12. Conflict Of interest Generally (1) A physical planner shall not— (a) hold, assume, accept or retain a position in which his interest is in conflict with his professional duty; (b) undertake paid professional work from any authority or organization of whose governing body he is a member; (c) act in circumstances where there is a potential conflict between his own private interest and the interest of his client or public interest; or (d) undertake any work which gives rise to any conflict of interest between his clients, including public clients, unless otherwise agreed by the clients. (2) A physical planner who has undertaken planning work, on behalf of a client, must not, until that engagement has been terminated, undertake work for, or on behalf of, any other client if by doing so the interests of either client would be in any way prejudiced or the planner’s ability to act in the interests of either client would be in any way impaired. (3) A physical planner may, only in exceptional circumstances, such as where the planner alone possesses the required expertise, act where a potential conflict of interest exists or may arise and prior to accepting any such engagement, the planner shall disclose the relevant details to the client or clients concerned. (4) A physical planner shall disclose to his employer or client any gift, commission or, discount he may have received from or offered by a third party in connection with his work as a planner, and he shall not accept any such gift, commission or discount where their receipt may or may be perceived to, influence his advice. - 13 Verify source ↗
Disclosure of confidential information permitted in some circumstances
A planner must keep a client's information confidential and not use it for personal benefit, but may disclose it when needed to comply with the law.
13. Disclosure of confidential information permitted in some circumstances (1) A planner shall treat all information of a client as confidential. (2) A planner has the duty to ensure that no person misuses a client's information. (3) A planner shall not use for his own benefit a client’s information. (4) A planner may disclose otherwise confidential information belonging to a client in order to comply with the law including— (a) a court proceeding; (b) a meeting of a planning committee or a meeting under the Act; or (c) an appeal under the Act. - 14 Verify source ↗
Inquiry into misconduct
The Board may investigate professional misconduct, must finish an inquiry under section 87(1)(b) within 60 days, and may impose a sanction if a person is found guilty.
14. Inquiry into misconduct (1) The Board may, on its own or upon receipt of a complaint. inquire into an act or omission amounting to professional misconduct. (2) The Board shall finalise an inquiry under section 87(1) (b) of the Act within sixty days. (3) The Board may, if it finds a person guilty of professional misconduct, mete out a sanction under section 87(2) of the Act. First Schedule (reg. 3) Physical planning Act Application for registration as a physical planner To: The Registrar Physical Planners Registration Board P O Box 30385 Lilongwe 3 1. Full names of the applicant: Dr/Mr./Mrs./Miss (a) Surname ____________________________________________________ (b) First Names ____________________________________________________ 2. (a) Date and place of birth ____________________________________________________ (b) Nationality ____________________________________________________ 3. Sex (Male/Female) ____________________________________________________ 4. Marital status: Single ________ Married ________ Widowed ________ Divorced ________ Other ________ 5. (a) Permanent Address ____________________________________________________ (b) Present Employer and address ____________________________________________________ (c) Telephone Number: ____________________________________________________ (d) E-mail Address: ____________________________________________________ 6. Education (a) General Education and Examination passed with dates. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ (b) Technical/Professional/Academic Training and Qualifications including particulars of Examination passed with dates. Physical/ Town planning degree First Post grad or other University or College ________________ ________________ Country ________________ ________________ Duration of course ________________ ________________ Date awarded ________________ ________________ Class ________________ ________________ (c) Membership of Institutes or any other Professional associations with dates and numbers (institution, class of Membership and date elected) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ (d) Registered or Licensed to practice as a Physical/Town Planner in other countries ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Copies of Certificates should accompany this application Applicants should note that transcripts may be required in some cases. 7. Publications or papers with dates (a) ____________________________________________________ (b) ____________________________________________________ (c) ____________________________________________________ 8. Working or practical experience in urban and regional planning: (a) Organization where working/practical experience was acquired ____________________________________________________ (b) Dates of Working/Practical experience: ____________________________________________________ (c) List of three most important projects/programs involved/undertaken with dates: (i) ____________________________________________________ (ii) ____________________________________________________ (iii) ____________________________________________________ (d) Details of practical experience in urban and regional planning in not less than 500 words and to be typed separately and attached to this application duly authenticated by the supervisor. 9. Particulars of positions held (present and past) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 10. Any additional relevant information (other courses, workshops etc) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 11. Declaration by the employer to be signed by the employer/head of department of the applicant. Please indicate employer’s full name and address: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ I, the undersigned do hereby declare that to my personal knowledge, the above statements concerning the applicant are true and correct. Signature of the Employer/Head of Department ____________________________________________________ Position held: ____________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________________________ 12. Personal declaration by applicant (a) ____________________________________________________ I ____________________________________________________ (Name in full, in block letters and underline Surname) of ____________________________________________________ (Permanent Address) hereby apply for registration on the register of Physical Planners and submit herewith: (a) a prescribed Statutory Declaration in support of the Application; (b) the prescribed application fee of K __________________ (c) the prescribed registration fee of K __________________ and (d) the following certified copies of degree professional/diploma/certificate(s) in support of my application: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Dated: ____________________________________________________ Signature of Applicant ____________________________________________________ Second Schedule (reg. 3) Part I Fees for registration of physical planners Fees payable for regisration of physical planners— K 1. Application for registration— (a) Citizens and permanent residents of Malawi 10,000.00 (b) Non-citizens and persons who are not permanent residents of Malawi 20,000.00 2. Registration fees— (a) Citizens and permanent residents of Malawi 100,000.00 (b) Non-citizens and persons who are not permanent residents of Malawi 200,000.00 3. Renewal of Registration certificate— (a) Citizens and permanent residents of Malawi 20,000.00 (b) Non-citizens and persons who are not permanent residents of Malawi 50,000.00 4. Replacement of lost registration certificate— (a) Citizens and permanent residents of Malawi 25,000.00 (b) Non-citizens and persons who are not permanent residents of Malawi 50,000.00 5. Examination fees— (a) For applicants who are nationals of Malawi (per subject) 20,000.00 (b) For applicants who are non-nationals of Malawi (per subject) 30,000.00 Part II – Minimum charges for the services of physical planners A. The preparation of physical development plans shall include the following activities— (a) Stakeholder sensitization and consultations; (b) Carrying out socio-economic surveys; (c) Geo-spatial data collection; (d) Production of report and land use maps; (e) Preparation of the plan; (f) Presentation of the plan to stakeholders; and (g) Submission of the plan for approval. B. Professional fees, daily subsistence allowance and transport cost— (a) Minimum professional fees: K200,000.00 per day (b) Daily Subsistence Allowance: A charge for Daily Subsistence Allowance shall not be less than fifteen per cent (15%) of the daily minimum professional fees (c) Transport cost: A charge for transport shall be the prevailing cost of a litre of petrol per kilometre. C. Charges for printing of site plans, layouts and plan drawings Size Compilation (K) Printing (K) A0 Size 15,000.00 40,000.00 Al Size 12,000.00 15,000.00 A2 Size 10,000.00 8,000.00 A3 Size 8,000.00 5,000.00 A4 Size 5,000.00 2,500.00 D. Charges for Diazo/Sepia copies Size Cost(K) A0 Size 6,000.00 A1 Size 4,000.00 A2 Size 3,000.00 A3 Size 2,400.00 A4 Size 2,000.00 E. Charges for printing of plans on sepia film Size/Scale Cost (K) Lake Charts A0 Paper. 20,000.00 Printing on A1 paper 12,500.00 Printing on A3 paper 5,500.00 Printing on A0 paper 14,000.00 Printing on A0 film 20,000.00 Third Schedule (reg. 4(a)) Physical planning Act statutory declaration I do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows: 1. THAT I am the holder of the following degrees, diplomas or certificates granted to me after examination by a university, college, professional institution, or other examining authority, and that the courses of study in the professional subjects with respect to which the degrees, diplomas or certificates which 1 hold were granted covered the following periods: University, college, or other institution Period Degree, diploma or certificate Examining authority From To 1. 2. 3. 4. 2. THAT I have completed the following additional courses of training and had the following experience in the practice of my profession, namely Description of training or experience Period From To 3. THAT as far as my professional qualifications are concerned, I am entitled to practice my profession in Malawi and in the country in which my professional qualifications were granted. 4. THAT— (a) I have never been suspended or expelled from practicing my profession in Malawi or any other country on the grounds of professional misconduct; (b) my name has never been removed from any register of planners or members of my profession kept in accordance with the Laws of Malawi or of any country in which 1 have practiced my profession; and (c) no inquiry is pending which may result in an action being taken which is referred to in subparagraph (a) or (b). 5. THAT I hereby solemnly and sincerely declare that the information I have given above is true in every respect to the best of my knowledge and belief. 6. THAT I have read the Act and the regulations made under the Act and understand that, if registered, I shall be bound thereby and by any amendments thereto, for as long as my name shall remain on the register. 7. THAT I undertake, if registered, to abide and uphold the aims and objectives of the physical planning profession. AND I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true. Signature __________________ DECLARED at __________________ this day of ________ 20 ______ Before me __________________ Signature of Attesting Authority __________________ Capacity of Attesting Authority (e.g. Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths, etc.) Note: This declaration, if made— (a) in Malawi, must be made under the Oaths, Affirmations and Declarations Act (Cap. 4:07); (b) in any other country of the Commonwealth, must be made before a Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths or other person having authority in that country under any law for the time being in force to take or receive an oath, an affirmation or a declaration; and (c) in any other place, must be made before a Malawian consul or vice-consul or before any person having authority under any Act of Parliament of the Laws of Malawi for the time being in force to take or receive an oath, affirmation or a declaration. Fourth Schedule (reg. 5(4)(a)) Physical planning Act certificate of registration Registration No: __________________ Certificate No: __________________ This is to certify that __________________ is this day of __________________ 20 __________________ registered in the Register of Physical Planners Board as a Registered Physical Planner under the Physical Planning Act, and the Regulations made thereunder. __________________ Chairperson (Common seal) __________________ Registrar Physical Planners Board Fifth Schedule (reg. 7) Physical planning Act register of (National) physical planners Name of registered person Date of registration Registration number Expiry date Address Nationality Date of birth Upon registration Subsequent to registration Qualifications Fee paid, number and date of receipt Remarks, if any University, college, school or other institution Date of cancelation of registration, if any [*Delete whatever is not applicable] Made this 8th day of June, 2020 K. Kalua Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (File No.: SUB.D. 23:01)
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