THE control on the use of land is a bigger problem than availability when it comes to commercial premises, according to one architect.

Award-winning Jamie Falla (pictured), a director of Atelier Bas MooArc, said liberalisation of that aspect of the planning law would give more diversity of use and enable greater rent control.

Some properties were empty because of restrictions on their use and the planning laws needed to move with the times.

‘We are not manufacturing things any more and are now service providers,’ he said. Mr Falla would like to see a mixed use classification similar to the one in the UK where, for instance, one secretary sits at a desk at the front of a building in which 20 are based.

‘Not everybody needs to have a smart air-conditioned office in Town or 25,000sq ft of floor space.’

The law could preclude certain businesses such as banks and trust companies from occupying certain buildings which would allow for greater control of rents.