Building Regulations Principal Designer

Appointing the right Building Regulations Principal Designer (BRPD) is now a legal and strategic necessity.

Under Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010, clients must appoint a designer with control over the design work as the principal designer wherever more than one contractor is, or is likely to be, involved — and do so before construction begins (or, for Higher-Risk Buildings, before submitting the application to the Regulator).

We deliver a turnkey BRPD service that plans, manages, monitors and coordinates the design to ensure the built outcome will comply with all relevant requirements of the Building Regulations. We align our competency and approach to PAS 8671:2022, the national framework for Principal Designer competence.

The Building Regulations Principal Designer is the dutyholder who:

Plans, manages and monitors the design during the design phase; and

Coordinates design matters so that, if built in accordance with the design, the work would comply with all applicable Building Regulations requirements.

This role is distinct from (but can be combined with) the CDM Principal Designer. Clients may certify their CDM PD to act as the Building Regulations Principal Designer if that organisation genuinely has control of the design and meets competence requirements.

Client duty to appoint: where more than one contractor is involved (or reasonably foreseeable), the client must appoint in writing a principal designer with control over the design work. For Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), this appointment must be made before the building control application goes to the Regulator.

Competence: a principal designer (whether an individual or an organisation) must have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours — or organisational capability — to fulfil the duties, and (if an organisation) must designate a competent individual to manage the PD functions.

Statements at completion/occupation: Principal Designers must provide a signed statement confirming they fulfilled their duties under Part 2A; this feeds into the client’s notification to Building Control at completion and, where relevant, prior to early occupation.

We act as your single point of accountability for design compliance. Our scope is built directly from the statutory PD duties and competence expectations:

1.Compliance leadership throughout design

Establish the compliance strategy, aligning design outputs to Schedule 1 and other relevant requirements.

Plan, manage and monitor multi-disciplinary design activities, with key deliverable and milestones tied to compliance evidence.

2. Coordination and challenge

Coordinate the design work of all designers so the integrated design, if built, would comply.

Proactively appraise and challenge design proposals to reach consensus on compliance — not just “box-tick”.

3. Information management

Define and operate the compliance information plan (inputs, decisions, assumptions, and evidence), ensuring sufficient information is provided to enable others to comply.

4. HRB readiness (where applicable)

Integrate HRB-specific controls, including early identification and communication that the project includes HRB work and its nature.

Support the client’s record-keeping on competence checks for appointments linked to HRB projects.

5. Competence assurance

Provide demonstrable competence in line with Reg. 11G and the PAS 8671 competence framework (behavioural, legislative/regulatory, management of design compliance, technical).

6. Handover and statutory statements

Compile and issue the Principal Designer duty fulfilment statement required at completion/occupation notifications, supporting the client’s legal submissions.

• Regulatory accuracy, first time: Our methodology is anchored directly to principal designer duties and the competence standard – reducing re-design and approval risk.
• PAS 8671-aligned competence: We structure our team competence to the national PD competence framework – giving clients confidence when discharging their appointment duties.
• Evidence-led: We curate clear, auditable compliance records to support Building Control and client notifications.
• Seamless with CDM: Where appropriate, we integrate with (or certify) your CDM PD arrangements to streamline appointments without compromising control of design compliance.
• HRB specialists: Robust HRB processes for information, competence checks and record-keeping.

• Formal Principal Designer appointment proposal and dutyholder structure plan.
• Project-specific Compliance Strategy & Evidence Plan (Schedule 1 mapping, tests, inspections).
• Coordinated design review outputs and actions to close compliance gaps.
• Information coordination (sufficient info to designers/contractors to enable compliance).
• HRB information and appointment records (if applicable).
• PD duty-fulfilment statement for completion/early occupation notifications.

• Appointment & timing: clients must appoint a designer with control of the design as principal designer; for HRBs, before submitting to the
• Regulator; otherwise before construction.
• Competence: PD must have the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (or organisational capability), with a designated competent individual managing PD functions.
• PD duties: plan, manage, monitor and coordinate design so that, if built in accordance with the design, the work would comply with the
• Regulations; ensure cooperation and provide sufficient information.
• Completion/occupation statements: PD must confirm duty fulfilment as part of client notifications to the relevant authority.
• Competence framework: Anstey Horne aligns PD competence with PAS 8671 categories (behavioural, legislative/regulatory, management of design compliance, technical).