Faculties
Faculties are the Church’s equivalent of planning permission. The Church of England is exempted from parts of the normal permission process with regard to Listed Building Consent because the faculty process takes their place. In some situations "planning permission" from the Local Authority may also be required. Faculties also give formal permission for the purchase or disposal of items: this formal permission is necessary to ensure that any new items are in keeping; and protects any items which are of particular value or significance from being disposed of on a whim.
Faculties and the methods of applying for them and granting them are governed by the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules under the Care of Churches & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991 and its successor legislation. The Council for the Care of Churches is currently preparing notes.
Certain works, purchases and disposals do not require a faculty. These are called de minimis items, and guidance on whether any proposed work falls within this list can be sought either from the Archdeacons or from Kadugli House.
To apply for a faculty, you need first to ask for the formal advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). In practice, it’s best to discuss the proposed changes within the Parochial Church Council and with the Archdeacon before contacting the DAC formally; and it is possible to ask the DAC for informal advice before starting the formal process.
To request the formal advice of the DAC, you need to use the Statutory Form A1, which is available from one of the links below.
There is also a commentary available to help you fill in the form.
This form may NOT be submitted to the DAC electronically.
The document needs to be printed and signed before being delivered to the DAC accompanied by the other supporting documents.
The form is provided in two formats:
The Statutory Form A1, in .pdf frmat. This allows you to download the form and print it, ready for completion in the traditional way.
The Statutory Form A1, in MS Word Format which can be completed on your computer and then printed.
Please note that, due to the complexities of different computer settings, this route may produce more frustrations than it solves!
