What is faculty and how do i get it?

Faculty​

The Faculty online portal is used to make applications to the Diocese for permissions to be granted for works to church buildings. There are various types of permissions depending on the type of work being proposed and whether the church is a Listed Building or not. Full guidance and details of how to apply for a Faculty can be obtained at the link below.

Guidance and details for how to apply for a Faculty

It is important at the outset of considering any works to check List A, List B and the Additional Matter Orders (AMO). If you require any advice, then email church.buildings@bristoldiocese.org​​

The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (as amended) provides in Schedule 1 certain matters which may be undertaken without a Faculty.​

  1. List A* contains works that may be undertaken without a faculty subject to any specified conditions.​
  2. List B* contains works that may, subject to any specified conditions, be undertaken without a faculty if the archdeacon has been consulted and has given notice in writing that the matter may be undertaken without a faculty.​
  3. Under section 78 of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018 and Rule 3.4 of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (as amended), the Chancellor of each diocese, after seeking the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee and the archdeacon of every archdeaconry in which a parish may be affected by the order, may make an Additional Matters Order** in respect of temporary changes to the layout of the church building or the installation of equipment. These Additional Matters Orders may be undertaken without a faculty, and generally need approval by the archdeacon, much in the same way as the List B applications are determined. ​

In addition, the Diocesan Chancellor can grant general faculties, which are faculties that apply to all churches within the diocese. To date, the Diocesan Chancellor has granted two, please see this list for details. As the general faculty has already been granted the process of gaining the permission for the any of the listed items has been simplified. If you require further information the general faculties please contact the secretary to the DAC.​

Access the faculty process flow chart here

Contact the DAC Secretary

Emergency Faculty

Emergency situations can cause significant risk to church users/public, therefore, refer to the process chart for action to be taken. It is important that the Diocese is kept informed to enable advice to be given relating to an emergency faculty.

Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC)

The DAC is a committee made up of around 15 people who are experts in their own fields, who offer their services to advise parishes on what they want to do to change or enhance their churches. It considers applications from parishes as the initial stage of the process for approving changes by a faculty.​

The members of the DAC include architects, bells and organ specialists, heating experts and people who have spent their live dealing with stained glass, liturgical fabric or marble busts! Members include people elected by the diocesan synod and representatives of the working clergy.​

The DAC has a statutory duty and obligations to fulfill in the review, recommendation and approvals for Faculty applications. Comments provided to Parishes are collectively by the DAC and made with consideration to longer term implications and objectives. The work of the DAC is varied as to range of matters it is requested to approve and it always seeks to support Parishes in providing appropriate advice. The DAC is committed to working collaboratively with Parishes and will provide additional guidance where required to resolve matters to ensure works can be successfully carried out. 

Function of the DAC

The Diocese has 212 church buildings, varying from tiny saxon chapels through to modern 20th-century worship centres; 74% of which are listed by English Heritage as being of architectural significance. The buildings are exempt from the usual local authority planning and listed buildings control because of the special nature of their use in worship but the law requires the diocese to have a formal process to control work on the buildings. A faculty, which is the formal permission to carry out work, can be granted by the chancellor of the diocese or the archdeacon, depending upon the level of the work involved, but in most cases, the advice of the DAC is a necessary part of that process. The expertise gathered together in the DAC can also be of enormous help to parishes as they consider the changes or repairs that they want to carry out.​

It is important to note that although the DAC give recommendations, that the process continues within timescales which includes consultations before a faculty is granted. Therefore, reference should be made to the Faculty process flowchart. Until the faculty is granted, works should not proceed.

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