PCC Decisions & Penalties

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:

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
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
25 February 2009	Derrick Arthur Matthews Walnut Farm Church Lane East Norton Leicester Leicestershire LE7 9XA	Unacceptable Professional Conduct	Erasure
24 February 2009	J Quinlan Terry Quinlan and Francis Terry Architects Old Exchange High Street Dedham Colchester Essex CO7 6HA	Criminal Conviction	Reprimand
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
2 May & 28 October 2008	David J Warren (056341B) 154 Stonebury Avenue Coventry CV5 7NX	UPC – failure to provide evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance; failure to respond to correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
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 from the Register of Architects
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 from the Register of Architects
26 Feb 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 from the Register of Architects
26 Nov 2007	John Marshall (036913F) Marshall Associates 7 Baldwins Hill Loughton Essex IG10 1SE	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
6 Jun 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 1990	One year suspension from the Register of Architects
18-Oct-06	Patrick Ellah (056256D) E.G.M. Associates 216 Westbourne Park Road London W11 1EP	UPC: failing to provide evidence of professional indemnity insurance and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	1 year suspension from the Register of Architects
28-Sep-06	William Paterson (038255H) Stuart Duncan Partnership 18 Victoria Park Gardens North Glasgow Lanarkshire G11 7EJ	UPC: failure to provide a written contract to clients, failure to supervise staff and acting in a conflict of interest situation	Erased from the Register of Architects
21-Jul-06	Peter White (047624B) Netherhall Dairy House Bridge of Dee Castle Douglas Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 2AA	Criminal conviction relating to his practice as an architect	Erased from the Register of Architects
07-Apr-05	Clifford Gardner (053238E) 4-6 Putney High Street London SW15 1SL	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erased from the Register of Architects
07-Apr-05	Robert Kirk (032288A) Robin Kirk Partnership 27 Harmony Hill Lisburn County Antrim Northern Ireland BT27 4ES	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erased from the Register of Architects
07-Apr-05	John Simms (042853A) Hallet Design Shelter Lane Sibford Ferris Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 5RG	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erased from the Register of Architects
07-Apr-05	Brian Cooper (036011B) Thistledown Slipshatch Road Reigate Surrey RH2 8NH	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Erased from the Register of Architects

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
2 May 2008	UPC- Failing to hold professional indemnity insurance and failing to respond to correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
12 June 07	UPC – failing to have professional indemnity insurance in place, failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	£1000 penalty order
02 May 08	UPC – failing to deal with a client complaint and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
13 Mar 07	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from both client and the Board	£1500 penalty order
28-Feb-07	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	£1000 penalty order
21-Feb-07	UPC: failing to hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance	£750 penalty order
17-Jan-08	UPC - Failure to manage work professionally and with regard to the interests of client	Reprimand
11-Dec-07	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-08	Criminal Conviction	No order
25-June-07	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-07	UPC – failing to provide evidence of compliance with the insurance requirement and failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
24-Jan-07	UPC: failing to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
19-Jan-06	UPC: failure to produce evidence of professional indemnity insurance	£1,000 penalty order
19-Jan-06	UPC: failure to deal with correspondence from the Board	Reprimand
24-Nov-05	Criminal conviction relating to practise as an architect	No penalty
05-Oct-05	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Reprimand
12-Jul-05	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-Mar-05	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£1,000 penalty order
15-Mar-05	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£1,250 penalty order
03-Mar-05	Criminal Conviction	18 month suspension from the Register of Architects
24-Aug-04	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	No Penalty
13-Jul-04	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing and causing undue delays	Reprimand
09-Dec-03	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
16-Oct-03	UPC: Failure to manage finances and deal with complaints	9 month suspension from the Register of Architects
01-Oct-03	UPC: Not agreeing terms of contract in writing	£1,500 penalty order
14-Jul-03	UPC: not having adequate insurance	£1,000 penalty order
11-Mar-03	SPI: falling below acceptable standards for an architect	Erased from the Register of Architects
04-Mar-03	UPC & SPI: lack of due care, skill & diligence	£2,000 penalty order
04-Feb-03	UPC: practising without insurance	£1,000 penalty & 1 year suspension from the Register of Architects
15-Jan-03	UPC & SPI: Misleading clients, practising without insurance & failure to deal with complaints	Erased from the Register of Architects
29-Oct-02	UPC & SPI: Inaccurate drawings, failure to submit plans, to supervise staff and provide a written contract	9 month suspension from the Register of Architects
11-Sep-02	UPC: Mishandling of client monies and failure to deal with complaints	Reprimand & £500 penalty
16-May-02	UPC & DC: misleading planning authority & misappropriation of funds	2 year suspension from the Register of Architects
27-Feb-02	UPC & SPI: Failure to administer contract	6 month suspension from the Register of Architects
26-Sep-01	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
02-May-01	UPC: Misleading a client in a planning application	2 year suspension from the Register of Architects
02-May-01	UPC: Failure to manage business properly, undue delay and dealing with complaints inappropriately	2 year suspension from the Register of Architects
02-May-01	UPC: practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	£250 penalty
02-May-01	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	No penalty order
24-Jan-01	UPC: inappropriate termination of agreement	Reprimand
04-Jan-01	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing	Reprimand
06-Sep-00	UPC: Failing to hand over documents	Reprimand
27-Jul-00	UPC: failure to provide terms of engagement in writing and failure to deal with planning application	£800 penalty followed by Erased from the Register of Architects for non-payment
14-Mar-00	UPC: Failure to account for client monies	£500 penalty
16-Feb-00	UPC: Flawed tendering process	2 year suspension from the Register of Architects
08-Dec-99	UPC: Practising without professional indemnity insurance in place	Reprimand
16-Nov-99	UPC: Failure to pay a judgment debt	4 month suspension from the Register of Architects
20-May-99	UPC: failure to deal with clients money properly	Reprimand
20-Apr-99	Criminal convictions for forgery and fraud	Erased from the Register of Architects
19-Dec-97	UPC: Contractual, tendering and inspection errors	Erased from the Register of Architects