Developers will be legally obliged to take out an insurance policy and declare how they plan to carry out construction work when regulations to protect neighbours from damage are introduced after Parliament's summer recess.

Earlier in the week, the Cabinet approved draft legislation to regulate construction work and minimise the inconveniences to residents who live next to building sites.

A spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister told The Sunday Times that the law would enable the minister responsible to issue regulations from time to time, the first of which would address the way to avoid damage to third party property.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had referred to these regulations briefly during Friday's national conference to discuss the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's reform document, but few details had emerged then.

Under the regulations, developers would have to prepare a method statement describing how the work would be executed and this would have to be deposited with the Buildings Regulations Office.

The new office will fall under the Resources Ministry and will be unrelated to Mepa. It would have the power to stop any construction work if the method statement did not provide adequate security to neighbours, if it was not submitted, or if contractors did not abide by what they would have declared.

Neighbours would also have the right to see the method statement and if they deem it unsatisfactory they would be able to object with the office.

Developers would have to take out an insurance policy to cover any eventuality and the office would have the right to stop construction work if this condition is not satisfied.

The regulations are also meant to cover vibrations from excavation work. Developers would be obliged to engage in digging techniques that reduce land vibration, which affects adjoining properties to a construction site. The idea behind the regulations is to allay the fears of neighbours and improve construction work practices to reduce damage caused to homes next to development sites.

The draft law was drawn up after consultation with the Building Industry Consultative Council and the public.

Construction site regulations introduced in 2007 had gone some way towards reducing the inconvenience to neighbours. But the complaints persisted in an island where new buildings keep mushrooming.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com