Faculties

Church buildings, their contents and grounds are protected by the Faculty Jurisdiction and under this legislation, a significant number of alterations, repairs, extensions or additions need to have consent prior to being carried out. Faculties are granted by the Chancellor of the Diocese. There is now an extended range of works which do not require a formal faculty application (outlined in the List A & List B documents below) but, if unsure, please contact us for clarification, prior to carrying out any work.

The Church of England benefits from Ecclesiastical Exemption and is not subject to Listed Building Consent or Conservation Area Consent from the Local Planning Authority. However, it is important to remember that the Ecclesiastical Exemption does not affect the need for Planning Permission, and you may still need to submit an application to the Local Authority if changes are to be made to the outside of the building, if certain alterations or additions are to be made to the churchyard and for changes to its boundaries. Please check with your local authority directly.

PLEASE NOTE – All applications for works to churches and churchyards in the Diocese of Gloucester, including List B works, will need to be completed through the Online Faculty System. The Online Faculty System has been developed by the Church of England and is now used by all Anglican dioceses in England and Wales. It is a web-based planning portal where parishes can develop proposals for new works in their church building, obtain DAC advice, record List A items, and apply for List B and Faculty. It allows parishes, DACs, Registrars, Chancellors, and Archdeacons to access information on a particular proposal quickly and efficiently in a single online space. This ensures the smooth progression of any application from beginning to end.

In order to start using the Online Faculty System and apply, please register here first.   

Please note that the system does not yet allow for applications for reservation of grave spaces or private petitions for memorials in churchyards; these will still require a paper application for now. The application form for the latter can be downloaded below.

If there are any queries in relation to the above, please contact us.

 

Downloads

 

The Operation of the Ecclesiastical Exemption and related planning matters

Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2019

Works that can be carried out without the need for a faculty (List A)

Works that can be carried out with written permission from the Archdeacon (List B)

Faculty process diagram

How to submit a good faculty – Guidance sheet 4

What information is needed to support a faculty?

Faculty form PDF version for private petitions

Faculty form WORD version for private petitions

Online Faculty System – FAQs