Professional Conduct Committee Decisions

The Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) is the disciplinary tribunal constituted under the Architects Act 1997 to hear allegations of unacceptable professional conduct and serious professional incompetence against architects. These are the two “offences” under which an architect can be found guilty. The Committee has the power to issue reprimands, levy fines, and suspend or erase an architect’s name from the Register.

Section 15(4) of the Act requires the PCC to publish the name and offence of those architects who have been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or serious professional incompetence.

The Act is silent on the length of time that an architect’s name and offence should remain in the public domain, but the Board’s view is that it is against the principles of natural justice for cases to be publicised indefinitely. It has therefore adopted a policy whereby findings and penalties resulting from PCC hearings should be publicised for no more than the following periods:

Penalty	Publication period
Reprimand	One year
Fine	Two years
Suspension	For the duration of the suspension + two years after its expiry
Erasure	Five years

Ultimately, however, the decision as to the period of publicity lies with the PCC.

The following tables contain a list of all cases heard by the PCC since 1997. However, in line with the Board’s policy, the second table lists only the date, nature of offence and penalty imposed. The name of the architect is withheld.

Table 1

Key:
UPC: Unacceptable professional conduct
SPI: Serious professional incompetence
DC: Disgraceful conduct

Please click on the architect's name to view the decision.

Professional Conduct Committee : Decisions and penalties
Date	Architect	Nature of offence	Penalty
26 January 2010	A Alan McCulloch McCulloch Architects 8 Meadow Road Guildford Surrey GU4 7LW	SPI - failure to perform his work with due skill, care and diligence. UPC - failure to adequately set out Terms of Engagement in Writing	Reprimand
8 December 2009	Mr Simon Finney 23 Tarran Way West Tarran Industrial Estate Wirral Merseyside CH46 4TT	UPC– failure to maintain adequate and apppropriate professional indemnity insurance run-off cover	£1000 fine
24 November 2009	Mrs Yvonne M Howie Howie Associates 7a Ailsa Road Twickenham Middlesex England TW1 1QJ	UPC – Making misleading statements	Erasure
29 & 30 October 2009	Mr David Johnson 14 Usworth Hall Washington Tyne And wear NE37 3HJ	UPC - failure to issue correct Terms of Engagement in Writing	£750 penalty order
10, 11 & 12 March 2009 & 20 October 2009	Mr Olatunji Olagunju Forthright Design Ltd 17 Aylmer Parade Aylmer Road London N2 0PE	UPC - failure to make it clear that his services would not incorporate the independent functions of an architect, failure to provide correct terms of engagement, failure to carry out work faithfully and conscientiously, failure to preserve the security of monies entrusted to him, and failure to deal with a dispute appropriately	Erasure
25 June 2009	Kanak Bose Kanak Bose Ltd 80 High Street Innerleithen Peeblesshire EH44 6HF	UPC- failure to set out Terms of Engagement in Writing	Reprimand
27 May 2009	Frank Pawlowski Flat 6 4 Portland Rise London N4 2PP	Unacceptable Professional Conduct	Erasure
27 May 2009	Soraya A Motevalli !01 Wellington Road London E11 2AS	Unacceptable Professional Conduct	Erasure
27 May 2009	Douglas Branson BCA / Doug Branson Studio 4 5 Thurloe Square London SW7 2TA	Unacceptable Professional Conduct	Erasure
7 April 2009	Ms Gillian P Beckingham Hazelhurst Kilmidyke Road Grange-over-Sands Cumbria England LA11 7AQ	Criminal Conviction	Erasure
28 October 2008 & 12 January 2009	Stefan Black Flat 26, Waverley Court 35 Venner Road London SE26 5EE	UPC – failure to provide evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance; failure to respond to correspondence from the Board	Erasure
15 October 2008	Behzad Sharouz Sharouz Associates 4 Felix Avenue London N8 9TL	UPC – dishonesty and lack of professional indemnity insurance.	Erasure
29 July 2008	John Dowland Tomei & Mackley Architects LLP Ivy Mill House Ivy Mill Lane Godstone Surrey RH9 8NR	UPC - Failure to pay judgment debts, failure to notify Board of bankruptcy	Erasure
18 June 2008	Christopher Harrison (066721H) No address	Criminal Conviction	Erasure
17 June 2008	Trevor Spurway (049533F) Trevor J Spurway (Architect) Ltd 55 Staplegrove Road Taunton Somerset TA1 1DG	UPC –failing to provide evidence of PII and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	£1000 penalty order
17 June 2008	Neil Ramsay (050321E) Ramsay Architects 87 Beaumont Road London W4 5AJ	UPC –Failure to pay a PCC penalty order; failing to carry out professional work; failing to provide evidence of PII and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Erasure
17 June 2008	David Hutchison (050206E) ARA BLU The Studio 6 Pony Farm Stable Lane Findon Worthing West Sussex BN14 0RS	UPC – failing to provide evidence of PII and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Erasure
2 May 2008	Bjorn Nilsen (042051D) 10 Valleyfield Street Edinburgh EH3 9LS	UPC – failed to provide evidence of his professional indemnity insurance, failed to deal with correspondence from the Board	Erasure
2 May 2008	Robert Daw (054720D) 21 Shelley Crescent Monmouth Gwent	UPC – failed to provide evidence of his professional indemnity insurance, failed to deal with correspondence from the Board	Erasure
26 February 2008	Henry Michael Cummings (031869H) 3 Sheiling Court, Bentinck Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2BW	UPC – holding himself out as an architect when not entitled and providing misleading information	Six month suspension
6 June 2007	Ingrid Morris Ingrid M Morris Bone & Morris Architects 37 Mossop Street London SW3 2NB	UPC – carrying out work with no professional indemnity insurance, failing to ensure run-off cover after allowing her PII cover to lapse, and convicted of breaching sections 7 and 9 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990p	One year suspension
21 July 2006	Peter White (047624B) Netherhall Dairy House Bridge of Dee Castle Douglas Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 2AA	Criminal conviction relating to his practice as an architect	Erasure
07 April 2005	Clifford Gardner (053238E) 4-6 Putney High Street London SW15 1SL	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erasure
07 April 2005	Robert Kirk (032288A) Robin Kirk Partnership 27 Harmony Hill Lisburn County Antrim Northern Ireland BT27 4ES	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erasure
07 April 2005	John Simms (042853A) Hallet Design Shelter Lane Sibford Ferris Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 5RG	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erasure
07 April 2005	Brian Cooper (036011B) Thistledown Slipshatch Road Reigate Surrey RH2 8NH	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erasure

Table 2

Key:
UPC: Unacceptable professional conduct
SPI: Serious professional incompetence
DC: Disgraceful conduct

Professional Conduct Committee : Decisions and penalties
Date	Nature of offence	Penalty
24 February 2009	Ciminal conviction	Reprimand
26 November 2007	UPC - Failing to provide adequate terms of engagement, failing to charge client as promised, lack of PII cover and using the title 'architect' when not on the Register	£1000 penalty order
2 May & 28 October 2008	UPC – failure to provide evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance; failure to respond to correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
18 October 2006	UPC: failing to provide evidence of professional indemnity insurance and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	1 year suspension
28 September 2006	UPC: failure to provide a written contract to clients, failure to supervise staff and acting in a conflict of interest situation	Erasure
2 May 2008	UPC – failing to hold professional indemnity insurance and failing to respond to correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
12 June 2007	UPC – failing to have professional indemnity insurance in place, failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	£1000 penalty order
02 May 2008	UPC – failing to deal with a client complaint and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
13 March 2007	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from both client and the Board	£1500 penalty order
28 February 2007	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	£1000 penalty order
21 February 2007	UPC: failing to hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance	£750 penalty order
17 January 2008	UPC - Failure to manage work professionally and with regard to the interests of client	Reprimand
11-December 2007	UPC – Misuse of the affix RIBA; making misleading representations to client; failing to preserve the security of clients funds and failing to ensure personal and professional finances were managed prudently	Reprimand
18 June 2008	Criminal Conviction	No order
25 June 2007	SPI - failing to perform his work with due skill, care and diligence, and certifying work for a contractor when he should not have done so.	Reprimand
12 June 2007	UPC – failing to provide evidence of compliance with the insurance requirement and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
24 January 2007	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
19 January 2006	UPC: failure to produce evidence of professional indemnity insurance	£1,000 penalty order
19 January 2006	UPC: failure to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
24 November 2005	Criminal conviction relating to practise as an architect	No penalty
05 October 2005	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Reprimand
12 July 2005	UPC: failure to pay a judgment debt	Reprimand & £500 penalty order
28-Jun-05	SPI: failure to administer contract correctly	Reprimand
14-Jun-05	UPC: failing to deal with complaints from a client properly, holding herself out as an architect when unregistered	£600 penalty order
15 March 2005	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£1,000 penalty order
15 March 2005	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£1,250 penalty order
03 March 2005	Criminal Conviction	18 month suspension
24-Aug-04	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	No Penalty
13 July 2004	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing and causing undue delays	Reprimand
09-December03	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
16 October 2003	UPC: Failure to manage finances and deal with complaints	9 month suspensions
01 October 2003	UPC: Not agreeing terms of contract in writing	£1,500 penalty order
14 July 2003	UPC: not having adequate insurance	£1,000 penalty order
11 March 2003	SPI: falling below acceptable standards for an architect	Erasure
04 March 2003	UPC & SPI: lack of due care, skill & diligence	£2,000 penalty order
04 February 2003	UPC: practising without insurance	£1,000 penalty & 1 year suspension
15-January03	UPC & SPI: Misleading clients, practising without insurance & failure to deal with complaints	Erasure
29 October 2002	UPC & SPI: Inaccurate drawings, failure to submit plans, to supervise staff and provide a written contract	9 month suspension
11 Septemer 2002	UPC: Mishandling of client monies and failure to deal with complaints	Reprimand & £500 penalty
16 May 2002	UPC & DC: misleading planning authority & misappropriation of funds	2 year suspension
27 February 2002	UPC & SPI: Failure to administer contract	6 month suspension
26 Septemer 2001	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
02 May 2001	UPC: Misleading a client in a planning application	2 year suspension
02 May 2001	UPC: Failure to manage business properly, undue delay and dealing with complaints inappropriately	2 year suspension
02 May 2001	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£250 penalty
02 May 2001	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	No penalty order
24 January 2001	UPC: inappropriate termination of agreement	Reprimand
04 January 2001	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
06 Septemer 2000	UPC: Failing to hand over documents	Reprimand
27 July 2000	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing and failure to deal with planning application	£800 penalty followed by Erasre for non-payment
14 March 2000	UPC: Failure to account for client monies	£500 penalty
16 February 2000	UPC: Flawed tendering process	2 year suspension
08 December 1999	UPC: Practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Reprimand
16 November 1999	UPC: Failure to pay a judgment debt	4 month suspension
20 May 1999	UPC: failure to deal with clients money properly	Reprimand
20 April 1999	Criminal convictions for forgery and fraud	Erasure
19 December 1997	UPC: Contractual, tendering and inspection errors	Erasure