The principal designer is the duty holder appointed under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to plan, manage and coordinate health and safety during the pre-construction phase of a project. Where a project involves more than one contractor, the client is legally required to make the appointment in writing. The role is about designing risk out before anyone sets foot on site: influencing the design so that the building can be constructed, maintained, cleaned and eventually altered or demolished safely.
If your building project will involve more than one contractor — and almost every extension, refurbishment or conversion does, once electricians, plumbers and roofers are counted — CDM 2015 requires a principal designer to be appointed. This applies to domestic projects as well as commercial ones. Where a domestic client makes no appointment, the duties pass by default to the designer in control of the design, often without anyone realising it. Appointing us deliberately places the duty in competent, insured hands.
We begin by gathering pre-construction information: existing drawings, asbestos surveys, service records and anything else that reveals hazards within the building. We then work alongside the architect and other designers as the design develops, reviewing drawings and specifications to identify risks and ensure they are eliminated or reduced so far as reasonably practicable. We coordinate between the designers, liaise with the principal contractor on residual risks, and assemble the health and safety file as information becomes available during the works.
Our appointment typically delivers:
The health and safety file matters well beyond the project itself: it is a document that future owners, surveyors and contractors will rely on, and solicitors increasingly request it when a property is sold.
Principal designer fees depend on the duration of the design and construction phases, the number of designers to coordinate, the complexity of the existing building and the hazards involved — a basement excavation beneath a Victorian terrace carries a very different risk profile from a straightforward rear extension. Whether we are appointed for the pre-construction phase alone or through to completion of the health and safety file also affects the fee. We confirm the scope and the cost in writing before appointment.
Effective design risk management requires someone who understands how buildings are actually put together, taken apart and maintained. As chartered surveyors we work with construction technology every day — from structural alterations and temporary works to roof access and fragile materials — which allows us to challenge designs constructively rather than simply administer paperwork. RICS regulation adds professional accountability and indemnity insurance, so the statutory duty you are required to discharge sits with a competent, insured professional.
The Building Safety Act introduced a second, distinct principal designer role under the Building Regulations, concerned with the design’s compliance with building regulations rather than with site safety. On projects within scope, clients must now make both appointments, and the two roles are often — though not always — held by the same organisation. We advise clients on whether their project falls within scope, how the dutyholder regime applies to them, and how the appointments should be structured so that nothing falls between the two roles.
If you are planning a project and unsure how the CDM Regulations or the new dutyholder regime apply, contact Notting Hill Surveyors. We will explain your obligations in plain terms and set out how we can act as principal designer on your behalf.