Faculty jurisdiction & the DAC

Changes to church buildings and churchyards are governed by Faculty Jurisdiction and permission is required from the Chancellor of the Diocese or your Archdeacon for most works of repair, adaptation and improvements to churches.

Faculty Jurisdiction is legal exemption from requiring Listed Building Consent from the local authority but many works will still require Planning Permission.

The Chancellor and Archdeacons are advised by a diocesan body called the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). The DAC is a formal group of volunteer specialists who give their time feely to assist parishes in the care of churches.  This support is offered both through considering applications for permission but also by aiding churches in developing proposals and in the general management of churches.

In exercising their role, the DAC must have due regard to a church as a local centre of mission and ministry in addition to considering the special character or significance of the church building.

If you would like to request a meeting or a site visit from one of the Church Buildings Team staff (who support the DAC) or a DAC specialist adviser, please make contact via churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk or 01905 732809.

How do I apply for permissions?

All applications for permission under the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules are undertaken via the Online Faculty System. You need to be a registered user for your parish to make an application.

You need to determine what level of permission you require for your works. Generally, works that are of repair or that do not affect the character or significance of the church building will not require a full faculty and will feature on either List A (no permission required) or List B (permission required from the Archdeacon) of the rules.

Download List A & B brochure
A flowchart detailing the complete process for applying for a faculty can be found here.

PCC resolution
Faculty applications (and sometimes List B applications, depending on their scale) need to be supported by a PCC resolution. The template to use for this can be downloaded here

Consultation

For works that affect the character or significance of the church building (usually only for listed buildings), consultation with external bodies who hold a statutory interest in the building will be required. The Church Buildings Team will guide you through this and undertake consultations through the online portal. Consultees include:

What other permissions are required?

Often, further secular permissions will be required in addition to a Faculty. Depending on the type of work you may require one or more of the following:
- Building Regulations approval
- Planning Permission
- Scheduled Monument Consent
- Bat (or other wildlife) Licence
- Tree Preservation Orders or Tree works in a Conservation Area


The Church Buildings Team will advise on whether further permission will be required.

 

DAC Members & Specialisms

DAC Members

Gareth Doodes, Chair
Ven. Mark Badger, Archdeacon of Worcester
Vacancy, Sound Systems Adviser
Tim Bridges, Historian
Victoria Bryant, Combined Local Authorities; Archaeology Adviser
Jane Chamberlain, Conservation Architect
Ian Cramp, Vice-chair; Lighting & Electrical Adviser
Joanna Daykin, Conservation Architect
John Dentith, Diocesan Synod – House of Laity
Ven. Nikki Groarke, Archdeacon of Dudley (ex-officio)
Jeffrey Howarth, Combined Amenity Societies
Father Adam Hadley, Diocesan Synod – House of Clergy
Victoria Poole, Architect
Matthew Vaughan, Conservation Architect
Sue Wright

Advisers to the DAC

Jonathan Ansell, Turret Clocks Adviser
Gordon Birks, Bells Adviser
Andrew Bessant, AV Systems Adviser
Graham Davies, Organs Adviser
Robert Kilgour, Conservation Architect
Susan Logan, Heating Adviser
Vacancy, Textiles Adviser
Richard Peplow, Church Plate Adviser
Chris Povey, Bells Adviser
Mohammad Salami, Structural Engineer Adviser

Staff

Mark Carter, Secretary to the Committee; Church Buildings Officer
Hannah Taylor, Assistant Church Buildings Officer
Jim Grevatte, Church Renewals Project Officer
Kay Shuard, Church Buildings Team Administrator

We are advertising for further advisers to the DAC in building services and environmental sustainability. The role description can be viewed here. To register interest or have an informal conversation about a role, please contact the Church Buildings Team churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk / 01905 732809.

 

DAC Meeting dates

DAC meetings take place on:

2024
17 January, 7 March, 25 April, 12 June, 24 July, 18 September, 13 November

Applications should be submitted at least 6 weeks before the meeting date to usually be able to be considered; applications which require statutory consultation will require at least 6 weeks before being able to be considered. Minor cases can be considered under delegated authority and not need to be presented to the full committee. Please speak to a member of the Church Buildings Team to work out the timescale for your application. Contact the team: churches@cofe-worcester.org.uk / 01905 732809.

 

 

Page last updated: Wednesday 13th March 2024 11:32 AM

Upcoming events and training this month

Wed
20
Mar
2:00 pm -

Contact the Team

The Diocesan Church Buildings Team seeks to support parishes in caring for buildings and can offer advice and assistance on a wide range of topics. They also operate the systems of permission to make changes to churches, known as Faculty Jurisdiction.

If you can’t find the guidance that you are looking for on the site then do contact the team by email or phone 01905 732809.

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