Parish Support

The Church of England is exempt from certain provisions of the planning acts, including the need to apply for listed building consent, for ecclesiastical buildings.

However there are still some cases where civil planning permission will be required in addition to a faculty such as

  • Adding an extension to a church building.
  • Demolition of part or all of an existing church building.
  • Works which are likely to materially affect the exterior appearance of a church or its environs e.g. changing the roofing material, installing a churchyard shed and installing solar panels. This requirement can vary between districts.

You may apply for a faculty before applying for planning permission. Bear in mind that planning permission takes precedence over a faculty application.

For advice about whether planning permission may be required in addition to a faculty, please consult the DAC Secretary or the Diocesan Registrar, or the relevant local authority planning department.

Churches sometimes need to consider “rearranging their furniture” in order to make things easier to use, or more accessible, or more appropriate for a new activity or for an existing activity done in a new way.

One particular problem most churches face is that all or nearly all the furniture is fixed – making moving it a more major and complex project, which would be difficult to undo again. Re-ordering usually requires a Faculty, but if the re-ordering is genuinely reversible, i.e. you are just trying something out, the Archdeacon can grant a Licence for a Temporary Reordering. This lasts for up to 24 months but cannot be extended. An application for a faculty should be submitted before the 24 month period expires if the parish wishes to retain the re-ordered arrangements permanently, otherwise the church needs to be put back to exactly how it was before.

Please do not apply directly to the Archdeacons as the applications are logged via the Online Faculty System. For guidance on how to apply for a TMRO please click here. 

The following guidance relates to the supporting documents required to be submitted as part of a valid faculty application, at the informal (pre-application) and formal (statutory) advice stages, via the Online Faculty System (OFS).

Before submitting a faculty application, please see the diocesan guidance on the faculty application process.

Why does the DAC ask for lots of written/drawn information?

  • Protecting: the DAC is legally required to review and assess the degree of risk to materials, or of loss to archaeological or historic remains or records, arising from parish proposals
  • Safeguarding: to fulfil this requirement, the DAC must scrutinise, in very close detail, the technical aspects of proposals (including drawings and quotes), to safeguard the PCC, the church building, and the diocese
  • Advising: not all members of the DAC will know your church, or have visited lately, so will benefit from as much contextual information (particularly photographs) that you can provide to assist in this process

Informal advice

Depending on how developed it is, when first submitted via the OFS, a faculty application will receive the informal (pre-application) advice of the Norwich Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). An informal application gives parishes the opportunity to receive feedback and guidance from the DAC on a proposal.

  • It is recommended that parishes consult their quinquennial inspector, as professional adviser to the PCC, or another suitably able professional, on the matter of commissioning and producing a plan showing the location of the proposed works, as well as sketches of the proposed designs (as below, where applicable)

Please provide the following supporting documents:

  1. Illustrative photographs, showing both the general setting and specific details (e.g. church interior and existing fittings)
  2. A plan or marked-up photographs showing the location of the proposed works, including (where relevant):
    • wiring routes to be created
    • areas to be redecorated
    • where items are to be introduced or removed
  3. Sketches of the proposed designs
  4. An options appraisal, for major schemes only (e.g. reorderings and extensions) (if available)
  5. Any advice or other material relating to the environmental implications of the proposal including, in the case of matters to which guidance on net zero carbon issued by the Church of England’s Church Buildings Council (CBC) applies (e.g. heating, lighting), an explanation of how the applicants, in formulating the proposal, have had ‘due regard’ to that guidance
  6. A copy of a minute of the PCC or Standing Committee in support of the proposal

When uploading information, please name each file by subject and give a description of its contents on the OFS for each file you are attaching. You can either upload all of the information in one session or you can add your information in separate sessions. Documents should be uploaded to the ‘Supporting documents and images’ tab within the application.

Statements of Significance and Need

For faculty applications relating to listed church buildings, submission of Statements of Significance and Needs is often required.

For guidance click here

For the statement of significance and needs template click here

Statement of significanceA statement of significance is a document that describes:

  • How the building has evolved over time
  • When the various parts of the building were constructed
  • And when notable additions were made to the interior (e.g. pews, pulpit, organ, stained glass, etc.)

It should provide a summary of why they are important and the contributions they make to the character of the building. And it should describe the impact of the changes you are proposing.

You should revisit this statement at regular intervals over the years and consider it to be a working document.

Statement of needs

A statement of needs is a document that allows you to explain your proposal having regard to your statement of significance and the impact of your proposed changes.

It should set out the reasons:

  • Why you think your needs cannot be met without making changes to your church building
  • And why you think the proposed changes are necessary to assist you in your worship and mission

Formal advice

When further developed via the OFS, the faculty application will receive the formal (statutory) advice of external bodies (e.g. Historic England and the National Amenity Societies), where applicable, and that of the DAC.

As part of the online application process, you will need to provide full technical details of your proposal. These details are very important and you will need to upload a variety of supporting documents. Without them your application will not be valid and is likely to be delayed in being processed.

  • It is recommended that parishes consult their quinquennial inspector, as professional adviser to the PCC, or another suitably able professional, on the matter of commissioning and producing technical drawings and plans, as well as the associated specification (as below, where applicable)

Please provide the following supporting documents:

  1. Illustrative photographs, showing both the general setting and specific details (e.g. church interior and existing fittings)
  2. Technical drawings and plans (in accordance with the guidance below)
  3. A specification, containing full details of the materials and finishes proposed to be used, and the working methods to be adopted
  4. An up-to-date copy of a quotation from the chosen contractor/s
  5. Any advice or other material relating to the environmental implications of the proposal including, in the case of matters to which guidance on net zero carbon issued by the Church of England’s Church Buildings Council (CBC) applies (e.g. heating, lighting), an explanation of how the applicants, in formulating the proposal, have had ‘due regard’ to that guidance
  6. A copy of a resolution of the PCC (signed by the Chair or Secretary) in support of the proposal

When uploading information, please name each file by subject and give a description of its contents on the OFS for each file you are attaching. You can either upload all of the information in one session or you can add your information in separate sessions. Documents should be uploaded to the ‘Supporting documents and images’ tab within the application.

Please note that the above list of supporting documents is the minimum required and the DAC Secretary may be in contact to request further information in support of your application.

Technical drawings and plans

Plans should be drawn to a scale of 1/100 or, in the case of large buildings, 1/200, and should show the existing arrangement and the proposed (i.e. two sets are required). They should also show the location of the proposed works, including (where appropriate) wiring routes, details of areas to be redecorated, and the location into which items are to be introduced or from where they are to be removed.

It is helpful to have not just a ‘bird’s eye view’, i.e. a floor plan, but also an elevation, i.e. a view of the vertical as if you were standing in front of it. A section is a cut-through view, which is required for showing how a feature is constructed. The following should accordingly be supplied (as applicable) as supporting documents:

  • Floor plans: a plan for each floor and, where appropriate, a roof plan also, clearly distinguishing between existing and proposed work in the case of alterations or extensions
  • Elevations: showing any alterations/repairs to the existing building, or all elevations of new buildings/extensions
  • Sections: the views through the building/feature showing, for example, where entrances are proposed on sloping sites, the level of the ground in relation to the level of the building, or the thickness and profile of a proposed moulding

User manuals

The OFS has a frequently asked questions section and a number of user manuals, which can be consulted at any time.

Key user manuals, with step-by-step instructions, include:

When parishes wish to make changes to their church buildings, contents or churchyards, they are required to obtain the necessary permissions for works. Parishes can request permission through an online application via the Church of England’s Online Faculty System (OFS), a web-based application portal.

List A covers minor works which do not require permission but most of these works are subject to conditions.

List B and Additional Matter applications, for minor works, are not required to be considered at a Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting. Applications are administered on a rolling programme rather than through the meeting schedule. If the works that a parish wishes to undertake are not specifically mentioned in List B or the Additional Matters Orders (see below), then a faculty is required.

To find out which works fall under List A and List B please click here.

The online system is designed to guide and prompt you through your application. As part of the online application process, you will be required to give a written description of the proposed works, but in addition you will need to provide full technical details.

List B applications

List B permission is applied for through an online application via the Online Faculty System (OFS).

Please do not request permission from the Archdeacon directly, as List B approval can only be granted through the OFS.

Works in List B of the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2022 can be undertaken by an ‘authorised person’, that is acting on behalf of the minister and churchwardens (or, in a vacancy, the churchwardens only).

List B applications are subject to all of the ‘specified conditions’ for that particular matter in the list. The Archdeacon may make a List B matter subject to additional conditions to reflect advice received, or request a faculty for a List B matter if they think fit.

Additional Matter applications

Additional Matter permission is applied for through an online application via the Online Faculty System (OFS), described as an ‘Additional Diocesan matter‘ at the bottom of the List B selection screen.

Please do not request permission from the Archdeacon directly, as Additional Matter approval can only be granted through the OFS.

The process for making and approving an Additional Matter application is the same as List B above.

The Chancellor for the Diocese of Norwich has issued the following Additional Matters Orders:

    1. Regarding the broadcasting of services CONSISTORY NOR AMO 05.11.20.
    2. Regarding the installation of Covid-19 memorial plaques CONSISTORY NOR AMO 27.07.2022
    3. Regarding the transfer of parish library to Norwich Cathedral CONSISTORY NOR AMO 14.11.2022
    4. Regarding car parking contracts CONSISTORY NOR AMO 16.05.2023
    5. Regarding Info Point and similar devices CONSISTORY NOR AMO 13.06.2023
    6. Regarding Commonwealth War Graves signs CONSISTORY NOR AMO 13.09.2023
    7. Regarding Eco Plaques and Electric Heating. CONSISTORY NOR AMO 2.12.2024
    8. Regarding Minor Churchyard Works CONSISTORY NOR AMO 13.1.2025

Supporting documents

In every case, supporting documents are required to be submitted as part of a valid List B or Additional Matter application.

A range of documents is needed to assist the expert DAC adviser, who will be reviewing your submitted application, to understand the nature and scope of your proposal. The adviser will then be able to give statutory advice to the Archdeacon, which will inform the Archdeacon’s determination of the case.

Please provide the following supporting documents:

  1. Illustrative photographs, showing both the general setting and specific details (e.g. church interior and existing fittings)
  2. A plan or marked-up photographs showing the location of the proposed works.
  3. Details of the materials proposed to be used and the working methods to be adopted
  4. An up-to-date copy of a quotation from the chosen contractor/s

When uploading information, please name each file by subject and give a description of its contents on the OFS for each file you are attaching. You can either upload all of the information in one session or you can add your information in separate sessions. Documents should be uploaded to the ‘Supporting documents and images’ tab within the application. If you have difficulty uploading documents please contact Nicholas Cannon or Eliza Greenwell.

List B and Additional Matter applications can cover a broad range of proposals, and some application types will require specific documentation. The following examples are intended to assist parishes in planning the documents which are likely to be required to be commissioned or acquired for their online applications:

Building repairs:

  • Technical drawings and plans, and an associated written specification, by an architect

Audio-visual and internet access equipment:

  • A specification of proposed equipment (with photographs), and wiring routes, by a specialist contractor

CCTV:

  • A specification of proposed equipment (with photographs), and wiring routes, by a specialist contractor, and a copy of the CCTV Policy Template, downloaded from the Church of England’s CCTV guidance web page, completed by the parish

Bells, clocks and organs:

  • A condition report (with photographs) by a specialist contractor

Trees:

  • A tree survey report (with a churchyard plan and photographs) by a tree specialist

Churchyard benches:

  • A product sheet or catalogue entry, a churchyard plan or marked-up photographs showing the proposed location, information on the method of fixing, the plaque material and wording (if applicable), and provision for maintenance

Getting help…

If you are in any doubt as to exactly what List B or Additional Matter supporting documents to provide, please contact: eliza.greenwell@dioceseofnorwich.org

The Norwich Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) visits churches and churchyards so that it can gain a better understanding of works being proposed by a PCC. These visits also give PCC members an opportunity to explain their proposal and to ensure that the views of the parish are well represented.

Requesting a visit

A DAC site visit may be requested by the PCC at an early stage in the development of its proposal, as part of seeking informal (pre-application) advice. The DAC may otherwise suggest a visit, following consideration of a faculty proposal at a DAC meeting, and where the members then wish to consider the scheme on site.

Before requesting a DAC site visit, please see the diocesan guidance on the faculty application process.

Further details on project planning can be found in the ‘Making Changes to Your Building and Churchyard‘ section of the Church of England website.

Following the visit

The DAC officer in attendance at the visit will compile a written site visit report. This will need to be approved at a subsequent DAC meeting following the visit. Therefore, there may be a delay before it can be sent to the PCC. The PCC can then use the report as guidance in the development of its faculty application.

Please note that the DAC-approved site visit report does not give permission for the PCC’s proposals. It offers advice which the parish should use to inform and develop its faculty application to the Diocesan Chancellor. It is the Chancellor, rather than the DAC, who grants faculty permission.

DAC Adviser site visits

A DAC adviser site visit may be requested by the parish at an early stage in the development of its proposal, as part of seeking informal (pre-application) advice, or at a subsequent stage in the application process.

The DAC adviser may otherwise suggest a visit, following consideration of a submitted faculty or List B application, and where the adviser then wishes to consider the scheme on site.

For the List of DAC advisers, please click here.

When parishes wish to make changes to their church buildings, contents or churchyards, they are required to obtain the necessary permissions for works. Parishes need to request permission through an online application via the Church of England’s Online Faculty System (OFS), a web-based application portal. If the works that a parish wishes to undertake are not specifically mentioned in List A, List B or within the list of Additional Matters Orders, then a faculty is required.

A faculty is a permission granted by the Consistory Court of the Diocese for work to be carried out to consecrated buildings and the land attached, which will usually include the church and churchyard, fixtures, fittings and furnishings. The jurisdiction is normally exercised by the Chancellor of the Diocese. Faculty applications are governed by the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (“FJR 2015”), as amended by the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2019 and the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2022.

Faculty applications are considered by the Norwich Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) at one of its regular meetings – please note the agenda closing dates (submission dates) for these meetings. Alternatively, a ‘minor’ faculty application may be processed through the delegated authority faculty procedure (see below), administered on a rolling programme rather than through the meeting schedule.

The online system is designed to guide and prompt you through your application. As part of the online application process, you will be required to give a written description of the proposed works, but in addition you will need to provide full technical details.

Please note that these details are very important and you will need to upload a variety of supporting documents. Without them your application will not be valid and is likely to be delayed in being processed.

Online Faculty System (OFS)

The Norwich DAC Office commenced use of the OFS for managing online applications for works to churches and churchyards in 2017.

You may find it helpful to save or bookmark the OFS website for ongoing use: facultyonline.churchofengland.org

Register now to use the OFS

Please note that registration is required to be approved by the DAC Office, so there may be a short delay while this occurs

At the start of a new faculty application, you will be asked to complete a summary description of the proposed works, the standard information form, and the early parts of the petition form. The DAC Secretary will review these and advise on the next steps according to what is specifically needed. This process is intended to save you providing more information than is needed.

Statements of Significance and Needs

For applications relating to listed church buildings, the next stage usually requires submission of Statements of Significance and Needs. It is recommended that you consult the following Church of England guidance, which relates to this important part of the application process: Statements of Significance and Needs

Supporting documents

In every case, supporting documents are required to be submitted as part of a valid faculty application.

A range of documents is needed to assist the expert DAC members, who will be reviewing your submitted application, to understand the nature and scope of your proposal. The members will then be able to give statutory advice to the Diocesan Chancellor, which will inform the Chancellor’s determination of the case.

Prior to making your application, please read the following diocesan guidance: Supporting documents

Informal advice

When first submitted via the Online Faculty System (OFS), a faculty application will receive the informal (pre-application) advice of the DAC. An informal application gives parishes the opportunity to receive feedback and guidance from the DAC on a proposal. Informal advice can also be offered before undertaking a DAC site visit, to best inform the visit.

Formal advice

When further developed via the OFS, the faculty application will receive the formal (statutory) advice of external bodies (e.g. Historic England, The Church Buildings Council, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Historic Buildings and Places, The Georgian Society and the Victorian Society), where applicable, and that of the DAC. The DAC is required to take account of advice received (within 42 days) from external bodies in the giving of its own formal advice.

Recommendation of Advice

Once the DAC has made its decision on the application, the Notification of Advice is issued and will be one of the following:

(a)   that the DAC recommends the works or proposals for approval by the court;

(b)   that the DAC does not recommend the works or proposals for approval by the court; or

(c)   that the DAC does not object to the works or proposals being approved by the court.

As a body, the DAC gives formal (statutory) advice on faculty applications to the Diocesan Chancellor. It is the Chancellor, rather than the DAC, who grants faculty permission.

Public Notices

The next step is to display public notices of the proposed Petition inside and outside the parish church for 28 full days. The public notices are generated for printing via the application on the Online Faculty System. This requirement allows third parties the opportunity to send their comments on the proposals to the Registry which administers the final stage of the process. Applicants then complete Form 4a confirming that the notices were displayed for the required period.

No proposed works available!

What next…

The public notices are also being displayed on notice boards at the church(es). The next stage in the process of applying for a faculty to authorise the works will be for the Parochial Church Council to submit a faculty petition to the Registrar’s office. That petition, together with advice from the Diocesan Advisory Committee and other statutory consultees, such as Historic England, will then be passed to the Chancellor for his determination. He will, of course, also take into account any representations made about the proposals by any other interested parties.

How to submit representations

If you wish to make any comment on the proposed works, please email or write to:

Diocesan Registrar, Birketts LLP
Kingfisher House, 1 Gilders Way
Norwich, NR3 1UB
Joanna-Pelan@birketts.co.uk

Comments must reach the Registrar by no later than 30 days from the date when the notice of the proposed works was published on this website.
The works will also be advertised on a public notice board at the church, which may provide an extended period for comments to be made.
Thank you for your interest in helping to preserve some of the most important listed buildings within the Diocese.

If emergency work is necessary, it may be possible to apply for an Interim Faculty.

An Interim Faculty would enable a parish to start work straight away but a full faculty application would still need to be made, usually within 28 days or such other time period as directed by the Chancellor.

If you need to apply for an Interim Faculty please contact the Diocesan Advisory Committee in the first instance.

If the Church has suffered the theft of lead from the roof, please refer to the Metal Theft Guidance Note.

Parochial Faculty Applications

No fee is payable by individual parishes for straightforward faculty applications. The cost of these applications is met by the Diocese out of its general budget.

Private Faculty Applications

Faculty applications made by anyone other than the PCC, for example by a telecoms company or private individual, are required to pay the application fee.

The current fee payable (from 1 January 2025) when lodging the Petition is £342.60 (inclusive of VAT at 20%). Payment should be made to Birketts LLP and sent to the Diocesan Registry with the Petition.

When applying for the reservation of a grave space or cremation plot, in addition to the application fee for the Faculty the applicant will normally be asked to pay an amount to the PCC which is used towards the maintenance of the churchyard.  They should discuss this directly with the PCC.

Additional Fees for Judgments and Directions

In cases where protracted correspondence is required with the Registry, or where the Chancellor considers it appropriate to record the Court’s decision by a written Judgement, an additional correspondence fee may be payable by the Parish.  The Fees are set out in Table 1 of the current Fees Order.

The current order is The Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Offices and Others (Fees) Order 2024 which came into effect on 1st January 2025.  You can review the Order here:  The Ecclesiastical Judges Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2024.

Alterations to listed buildings attracts a VAT charge of 20%.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme gives grants covering the VAT on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings used as places of worship. You can also submit one claim in any 12-month period that is less than £1,000, but more than £500. The Scheme is run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and funded until 31 March 2025. Details of the Scheme can be found at Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

The works permitted by faculty must be completed within the time specified by the Chancellor on the faculty certificate (usually 1 year) or an extension sought. The applicant must ask for an extension no later than 14 days before the expiry of the faculty, otherwise a new faculty may have to be applied for. To apply for an extension please contact Joanna Pelan, Registry Clerk: Joanna-Pelan@birketts.co.uk with details on the stage the work has reached, what remains to be done, the reason for the delay and how much time is needed to complete the works.

Please could petitioners complete the ‘Certificate of Completion’ via the online application when the work authorised by the faculty has been completed. This will formally close the case.

Please refer to the Practice Direction issued by the Chancellor on 12th August 2022 for clarification: CONSISTORY NOR PD 12.08.2022