Under CDM 2015

The Principal Designer is appointed by the client and coordinates health and safety in the pre-construction phase. On domestic projects with more than one contractor, the duty transfers to the designer if not formally appointed.

Under the Building Safety Act

A new Principal Designer role exists for Building Regulations compliance — coordinating design compliance across the team. On smaller domestic work, this is the designer leading the technical package.

Why you should care

If nobody is named, the role often defaults back to the client. Document the appointment to keep the duty where it belongs.