Privacy Policy
Privacy
Privacy Notice
Last updated: 14 September 2026
Unit3 Design Studio Ltd respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information and explains your rights under UK data protection law.
1. Who we are
Unit3 Design Studio Ltd is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this notice.
Unit3 Design Studio Ltd
Company No. 08500206
22A Jordan Street
Baltic Triangle
Liverpool
L1 0BP
Email: mail@unit3-designstudio.com
Responsibility for data protection within Unit3 is overseen by our Data Protection Lead, Martin Shutt, who can be contacted at:
2. The information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect information including:
- your name;
- home or business address;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- company or organisation details;
- details about your property, site or proposed project;
- project briefs, requirements, budgets and timescales;
- drawings, photographs and other documents that you provide to us;
- correspondence and records of communications with you;
- information required to prepare quotations, fee proposals, appointments and contracts;
- billing, payment and financial information;
- information relating to planning, Building Regulations and other statutory applications;
- information concerning consultants, contractors and other members of a project team;
- information submitted when applying for employment, work experience or other opportunities with Unit3; and
- technical information generated when you use our website, where applicable, such as IP address, browser information and information collected through cookies or similar technologies.
We may also receive personal information from third parties, including clients, consultants, contractors, local authorities, statutory bodies, publicly available sources and other members of a project team.
3. How we use your information
We use personal information where it is reasonably necessary for our business and professional activities, including:
Enquiries and prospective clients
We use information you provide to:
- respond to enquiries;
- understand your proposed project;
- arrange consultations or meetings;
- assess whether we are able to assist you;
- prepare fee proposals and quotations; and
- communicate with you about potential services.
Our lawful basis will normally be taking steps at your request before entering into a contract and/or our legitimate interests in responding to enquiries and developing our business.
Clients and projects
Where we are appointed, we may use personal information to:
- provide architectural, design, Principal Designer and other professional services;
- administer our appointment;
- communicate with you and other members of the project team;
- prepare drawings, reports, specifications and other project information;
- submit and administer statutory applications;
- coordinate consultants and contractors;
- manage fees, invoices and payments;
- maintain appropriate project and professional records; and
- establish, exercise or defend legal or contractual rights.
Our lawful bases may include performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in providing and administering professional services.
Professional and statutory obligations
We may process information where necessary to comply with legal, regulatory or professional requirements applying to our work.
This may include requirements arising from planning and building regulations legislation, health and safety legislation, tax and accounting requirements, professional standards and obligations associated with our professional indemnity insurance.
Recruitment
If you apply for a job, work experience placement or other opportunity with Unit3, we may use your information to:
- assess your application;
- communicate with you;
- arrange interviews;
- verify qualifications and experience;
- obtain references;
- verify your right to work in the UK; and
- make recruitment decisions.
Our lawful bases will generally be taking steps before entering into an employment contract, compliance with our legal obligations and our legitimate interests in recruiting suitable members of staff.
Where we need to process particularly sensitive information, we will only do so where there is an appropriate legal basis and appropriate safeguards.
Marketing and keeping in touch
We may send occasional news, events or updates where you have asked to receive them or where we are otherwise permitted to do so by law.
Where consent is required, marketing consent is optional and is separate from any enquiry or appointment.
You can unsubscribe or ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by contacting us or by using any unsubscribe facility included in the communication.
We will still send administrative or project-related communications where these are necessary in connection with an enquiry, appointment or service we are providing.
4. Our website
When you visit our website, limited technical information may be collected automatically.
We may use cookies and similar storage and access technologies to:
- operate and secure the website;
- remember preferences;
- understand how the website is being used;
- measure and improve website performance; and
- provide third-party functionality such as maps or embedded content.
Some technologies are necessary for the website to work and do not require consent.
Other technologies will only be used where permitted by applicable law. Where consent is required, they will not be activated until you have made an appropriate choice.
Where we rely on an applicable exception for statistical or analytical purposes, we will provide appropriate information and a simple way for you to object where required.
Further information is provided in our Cookie Notice and through the website’s cookie settings.
5. Third-party content
Our website may contain links to other websites or content provided by third parties, including embedded services such as online maps.
Third-party websites and services have their own privacy policies and we are not responsible for how those organisations process your information.
Where appropriate, third-party content that involves storage or access technologies may be prevented from loading until you choose to enable it.
6. Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information.
Where necessary, we may share information with organisations involved in providing our services or operating our business, including:
- architects, engineers and other professional consultants;
- contractors and other members of a project team;
- clients and property owners;
- local authorities, building control bodies and other statutory authorities;
- utility companies and infrastructure providers;
- professional advisers, insurers and insurance brokers;
- accountants and financial service providers;
- IT, email, cloud-storage, website and software providers;
- organisations providing administrative or technical services to us; and
- law-enforcement agencies, courts, regulators or other authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
We only provide information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
Where another organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we take appropriate steps to ensure that suitable data-protection arrangements are in place.
7. International transfers
Some of the technology and cloud services used by organisations such as ours may involve personal information being processed outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with UK data-protection law.
This may include transferring information to a country covered by UK adequacy regulations or using appropriate contractual or other safeguards recognised under UK law.
8. How long we keep information
We do not keep personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary.
The appropriate retention period depends on the nature of the information and why we hold it.
As a general guide:
- general enquiries that do not result in an appointment: normally up to 24 months;
- client and project records: retained for an appropriate period following completion of our services, taking account of contractual limitation periods, professional obligations, insurance requirements and the possibility of legal claims. This will commonly be at least six years and may be 12 years or longer depending upon the project and form of appointment;
- financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting legislation;
- unsuccessful recruitment applications: normally retained for up to six months after completion of the relevant recruitment process;
- speculative applications retained for future opportunities: normally retained for up to 12 months where we have agreed to keep the applicant’s details; and
- marketing information: retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent where applicable, or the information is no longer required.
We may retain information for longer where this is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised as appropriate.
9. Keeping your information secure
We take appropriate organisational and technical measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.
Measures may include appropriate access controls, password protection, secure cloud services, device security, staff procedures, backups and other safeguards proportionate to the information concerned.
No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, but we regularly consider the risks associated with the information we hold and the measures necessary to protect it.
10. Personal data breaches
We maintain procedures for identifying and responding to personal data breaches.
Where a breach presents a risk to people’s rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office where required by law. Where a breach is likely to result in a high risk to an individual, we will also notify the affected person where required.
11. Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- request access to personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to delete your personal information;
- ask us to restrict the way we use your information;
- object to particular uses of your information;
- receive certain information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where we rely upon consent; and
- raise concerns about how your information is being used.
These rights are subject to certain conditions and exemptions and do not apply in every circumstance.
If you wish to exercise a data-protection right, please contact:
We may need to ask for information to confirm your identity before responding.
We will respond within the period required by data-protection law.
12. Data-protection complaints
If you believe that Unit3 has not handled your personal information appropriately, you can make a data-protection complaint to us.
Please contact:
Martin Shutt – Data Protection Lead
Email: martin@unit3-designstudio.com
You do not need to quote data-protection legislation or use any particular form of words.
We will:
- acknowledge receipt of a data-protection complaint within 30 days;
- take appropriate steps to investigate it without undue delay;
- keep you appropriately informed while the complaint is being considered; and
- communicate the outcome to you without undue delay.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK’s data-protection regulator:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your concerns first, but contacting us does not affect your right to contact the ICO.
13. Children
Our architectural and professional services and this website are not directed at children.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children through this website other than where this is appropriate and lawful in connection with our professional services, recruitment/work-experience activities or another legitimate purpose.
Where children’s personal information needs to be processed, we will consider the nature of the information, the age of the child and the applicable legal requirements and safeguards.
14. Changes to this notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes to our services, working practices or legal requirements.
The date at the top of this notice identifies when it was last updated.
15. Contact us
For questions about this Privacy Notice or how Unit3 uses personal information, please contact:
Unit3 Design Studio Ltd
22A Jordan Street
Baltic Triangle
Liverpool
L1 0BP
Email: mail@unit3-designstudio.com
Data-protection enquiries and complaints:
Martin Shutt – Data Protection Lead
martin@unit3-designstudio.com