Privacy Policy & Cookies.
Sterne Design Ltd respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with, how we protect it and the rights you have in relation to your personal information.
This policy applies to personal information provided directly to Sterne Design Ltd, for example when you contact us about architectural services, and information collected through our website at www.sternedesign.co.uk.
1. Who we are
Sterne Design Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal information.
Correspondence address:
12 Chapel Street
Cromer
Norfolk
NR27 9HJ
Email: luke@sternedesign.co.uk
If you have any questions about how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and use information including:
your name;
postal address and property address;
email address;
telephone number;
information about your property and proposed project;
information you provide in correspondence, meetings, surveys, photographs, drawings and other project information;
information relating to planning and building regulation applications and the design and construction of your project;
information contained within documents provided to us by you or by other people involved in your project;
payment and invoicing information; and
information relating to enquiries and communications with Sterne Design.
We only collect and use personal information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
3. How we collect your information
We may receive personal information:
directly from you when you contact us, request a quotation or appoint us;
during meetings, telephone calls and email correspondence;
from other people involved in your project where appropriate;
from consultants, contractors or other professional advisers involved in your project;
from public sources such as local authority planning portals and other publicly available information; and
automatically through our website, where cookies or similar technologies are used.
Where we receive information about you from another source, we will use it only where we have a lawful reason to do so.
4. How we use your information
We may use your personal information to:
respond to enquiries and requests for information;
prepare quotations and proposals for architectural services;
provide architectural, planning and Building Regulations services;
communicate with you about your project;
prepare drawings, documents and applications;
submit and manage planning and other applications on your behalf;
liaise with local authorities, Building Control, consultants, contractors and other relevant parties involved in your project;
administer our accounts, invoices and payments;
maintain appropriate business and project records;
comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
protect our business and enforce our contractual rights where necessary; and
maintain and improve our website and services.
We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with those described above without providing appropriate information or obtaining consent where this is required.
5. Our lawful bases for using your information
Depending on the circumstances, Sterne Design may rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract: We may process your information where it is necessary to provide services to you, prepare to enter into an agreement with you, or fulfil our contractual obligations.
Legal obligation: We may process information where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, such as accounting, taxation or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: We may process information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. This may include maintaining business and project records, communicating with clients and prospective clients, protecting our business, managing enquiries and improving our services.
Consent: Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis, we will ask for your consent and explain what you are consenting to. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
6. Who we may share your information with
We will only share personal information where there is a legitimate and appropriate reason to do so.
Depending on your project, this may include:
local planning authorities and other public authorities;
Building Control bodies;
structural engineers;
ecological consultants;
arboricultural consultants;
surveyors;
other specialist consultants;
contractors or builders where appropriate;
other professional advisers involved in your project;
insurers, accountants or professional advisers where necessary; and
IT, website, email, cloud storage and other service providers who process information on our behalf.
Where information is shared as part of your project, we will only provide information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
We may also disclose information where required to do so by law, court order or another lawful authority.
7. How we protect your information
We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure.
Electronic information is stored using password-protected devices and accounts and, where applicable, secure cloud-based services.
We limit access to personal information to people who reasonably need it for the purposes described in this policy.
No method of storing or transmitting information is completely secure. However, we take appropriate steps to reduce the risks associated with the information we hold.
8. How long we keep your information
We do not keep personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a legal, contractual or legitimate business reason to retain it for longer.
Retention periods will depend on the type of information and the circumstances. For example:
General enquiries and unsuccessful quotations: normally retained for a reasonable period after the enquiry or quotation has ended, so that we can maintain appropriate business records and deal with any follow-up matters.
Client and project information: normally retained for the duration of the project and for an appropriate period afterwards to maintain project, contractual, professional and insurance records.
Financial and accounting information: retained for the period required by applicable legal and accounting requirements.
Website and cookie information: retained in accordance with the relevant cookie or service settings.
When information is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.
9. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing, you may have rights including:
the right to ask for access to the personal information we hold about you;
the right to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances;
the right to ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances;
the right to object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
the right to data portability in certain circumstances; and
where processing is based on consent, the right to withdraw that consent.