Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi confirmed that the fund that helps owners restore their façade was "taken up within minutes."

The Irrestawra Darek scheme reimburses owners of properties in Urban Conservation Areas and for scheduled Grade 1 and 2 properties, who want to restore their façade.

This year the Planning Authority made €5 million available, with €4 million for UCA residential properties and €1 million for scheduled properties.

The application window to apply for the scheme was open on Tuesday at noon, and it could only be submitted by the clients' architects. The applications were granted on a first come first serve basis.

Many people took to social media to complain about how the portal on the PA website, where architects could submit their applications, was not working.

Popular Facebook page "Malta Dizastru TOTALI", posted that the system to upload applications stopped working at 12:01, one minute after the application window opened.

Zrinzo Azzopardi responded to a parliamentary question put forward by PN MP Albert Buttigieg asking why people were struggling to submit their applications as the page was not working.

The Minister said that the fact that the scheme closed so quickly showed how strong the scheme was, and said that this occurrence was a "massive vote of confidence."

Zrinzo Azzopardi added that he was informed that there were over 350 applications, but he said that he will have more information about this later on.

Pressed by Buttigieg again, who pointed out that he had screenshots showing that the system had stopped at 12:01, Zrinzo Azzopardi said that he is "not in a position to answer on the way the system works." He continued to insist that this was on a first come first serve basis.

Pressed by PN MP Toni Bezzina, who mentioned that there were rumours circulating that some architects were given permission to apply for this scheme 25 minutes before the application window opened, Zrinzo Azzopardi slammed Bezzina for alleging such a thing.

"Either you have proof or you do not come here and say such a thing in the highest institution in our country," the Minister said which caused quite a reaction among the government benches.

Zrinzo Azzopardi said there was an understanding with the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers (Kamra tal-Periti - KTP) that the application window will open at noon.

Pressed by PN MP Darren Carabott, who asked Zrinzo Azzopardi why the PA, which would have known how many architects there are in Malta, did not strengthen their website to endure the site traffic, Zrinzo Azzopardi repeated that since it was on a first come first serve basis, all funds available for the scheme were taken up.

In a statement, the Planning Authority (PA) categorically denies the allegation made in Parliament earlier today that the Irrestawra Darek scheme opened earlier than noon for certain Periti. The Authority can confirm that the scheme opened at noon as agreed with the Kamra Tal-Periti (KTP).

Over 200 different Periti submitted applications for this scheme within minutes of it opening. The PA said it had to close the scheme due to high demand and the number of applications submitted that went over the allocated money for this scheme. The strong response for this scheme is evidence of the success this scheme has achieved over the past years, it added.