FAQs
Q: How do I implement the repairs recommended in the last Quinquennial Inspection report?
A: How to Implement the Repairs sets out in simple steps the path you need to follow in order to organise the repair works.
Q: Are there any guidelines for cleaning the different materials in a church?
A: Yes, the Cleaning Guidelines on this website set out how to clean the different elements and objects in a church, ranging from alabaster to wall paintings.
Q: Where can I find out whether the bells and bell frame in my church are of historical significance?
A: You can find out if your bells and bell frame are of historical significance by searching the Database of Historically Significant Bells and Bell Frames.
Q: How can I find a conservator for furnishings and artworks?
A: You can find accredited conservators through the Conservation Register, a database provided by the Institute of Conservation. Contact your DAC if you have any questions on finding an appropriate conservator.
Q: Where can I get advice on specialist conservation treatment?
A: An accredited conservator who specialises in your type of object will be able to advise you on the necessary repair and conservation measures. The conservator's report setting out his assessment and proposed treatment is required for a faculty application. The conservator will also be able to advise you on the object's future care and maintenance. You can find accredited conservators through the Conservation Register, a database provided by the Institute of Conservation. Contact your DAC if you have any questions on finding a conservator.
Q: Are there any guidelines for cleaning the different materials in a church?
A: Yes, the Cleaning Guidelines on this website set out how to clean the different elements and objects in a church, ranging from alabaster to wall paintings.
Q: What permissions do I need for the conservation of a separately listed structure in the churchyard?
A: Any significant repairs or alterations to any separately listed structure, such as a lychgate or monument, will require listed building consent as well as a faculty.
Q: What secular permissions and consents do I need in addition to a faculty?
A: Church buildings are exempt from listed building and conservation area consent. However, known archaeological sites within churchyards of national importance, above and below ground, may be scheduled monuments and any work affecting them requires scheduled monument consent. Building works to the exterior of churches in use as places of worship require planning permission from the local planning authority just like works affecting other building types. Planning permission will also be needed for works in the curtilage of a church or works which affect its setting, such as the laying of paths in the churchyard. Certain categories of building works, both internal and external, will involve the need for building regulations approval. Any works involving trees will also need permission if the tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order or in a conservation area. Other statutory protection measures, which may affect the churchyard, include the designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which may prohibit certain site-specific operations. Your architect or surveyor and DAC Secretary will be able to advise you further.
Q: Should a church building be used for purposes other than mission and worship?
A: Churches can accommodate many uses which need not be ecclesiastical in purpose, provided that worship remains the primary use of the church. The additional uses do not need to be ancillary to worship or pastoral in motivation but can be purely commercial and primarily motivated by the need to raise revenue for the church. Organising and hosting additional uses can benefit the community life and is one of the best ways of helping to sustain the building and to keep it in good repair.
Q: What types of use are not allowed in a church?
A: Additional uses which prevent the primary use of the church for worship and those which involve activities which are unsuitable in a church, either because they conflict with its teaching or because are unlikely to be acceptable for members of the Church of England, are impermissible.
Q: Should a church be used for financial or commercial purposes?
A: There is no moral or spiritual reason why a post office or a shop cannot be hosted within a place of worship. Those places of worship which have embarked on this exercise have done so because they see it as providing a vital community facility. Payment made to the place of worship for use of the building is done on the basis of covering costs.
Q: Is there any advice on how to develop your church building and to open it to the community?
A:
If you want to develop your church building and open it to the community -whether this means hosting a project, service or commercial activity or helping to fulfil a local need - you can follow the path set out in How to Develop Your Church Building.
Q: How do I approach planning an alteration or extension of the church building?
A:
How to Make Alterations to Your Church guides you through the process of planning and organizing an alteration or extension of your church.
Q: Is there a potential clash between operating a commercial business such as a community shop or a post office and running a place of worship?
A: The evidence from recent examples suggests that there is unlikely to be a problem if the operating hours of the commercial business are fixed. Funerals can often be scheduled around the opening hours. If the church also runs a lot of other activities, good organization can avoid clashes.
Q: Is it not dangerous to open the church building to other uses or for tourists and visitors?
A:
Most thefts and damage occur when the church is unoccupied. Legitimate visitors and regular activity in the church will deter those with criminal intentions. Most church insurers recommend keeping the church open during the day if at all possible. Contact your church's insurance company for further information.
Q: When is a Conservation Management Plan needed and how do I write one?
A:
The Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2000 stated that parishes intending to submit a faculty application for significant changes to a listed church should prepare a Statement of Significance and Need to accompany the application.
Guidelines on Statements of Significance and Need
However it has since become increasingly apparent that major churches are of such complexity and significance that a Statement of Significance and Need may not be adequate. Where this is the case, the PCC or other body responsible for a church should consider producing a Conservation Management Plan (CMP). Guidance has been produced which aims to help parishes to produce a useful, succinct and inexpensive document which will fulfil their needs. This can be viewed below.
Q: Where can I get advice on setting up a church website?
A:
There are many different sites online giving advice on how to construct your church website or offering to host it.
http://www.goodchurchwebsites.org.uk/ is a good place to start for a jargon free and non technical guide but other websites are available and contacting your Diocese Communications Officer early in the process is advisable.
Also consider joining or linking to other village websites and the Church of England's http://www.achurchnearyou.com/ database.
Q: Where can I apply for funding for the repair or alteration of my church?
A: The Funding section of this website provides information on trusts who give grant towards the repair or alteration of church buildings.
Q: Where can I apply for funding for the conservation of furnishings and artworks?
A: The Funding section of this website provides information on trusts, including the Church Buildings Council, who give grants towards the conservation of furnishings and artworks.
A: A faculty, that is a licence authorising the work, is required for ALL repairs, alterations or extension of a church building or changes to its contents or churchyard. The only exceptions to this rule are minor works specified by each individual diocese. A faculty is a legal requirement and there are significant powers to deal with any unauthorised changes which may be reversed or demolished.
Q: What permissions do I need for the conservation of a separately listed structure in the churchyard?
A: Any significant repairs or alterations to any separately listed structure, such as a lychgate or monument, will require listed building consent as well as a faculty.
Q: What secular permissions and consents do I need in addition to a faculty?
A:
Church buildings are exempt from listed building and conservation area consent. However, known archaeological sites within churchyards of national importance, above and below ground, may be scheduled monuments and any work affecting them requires scheduled monument consent. Building works to the exterior of churches in use as places of worship require planning permission from the local planning authority just like works affecting other building types. Planning permission will also be needed for works in the curtilage of a church or works which affect its setting, such as the laying of paths in the churchyard. Certain categories of building works, both internal and external, will involve the need for building regulations approval. Any works involving trees will also need permission if the tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order or in a conservation area. Other statutory protection measures, which may affect the churchyard, include the designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which may prohibit certain site-specific operations. Your architect or surveyor and DAC Secretary will be able to advise you further.
Q: What does the Church Buildings Council do?
A:
The Council supports dioceses and parishes in the use, care and development of parish churches, their contents and churchyards. The CBC's day-to-day work includes offering advice to chancellors, dioceses and parishes on faculty applications; distributing grants for the conservation of church fabric and fittings; organising conferences and seminars; publishing books and other guidance on subjects relating to the care and use of church buildings, their contents and churchyards; and compiling reports on the historic merits and architectural interest of churches being considered for closure. Through its Statutory Advisory Committee, the Council also advises on proposals for closing or closed churches.
Q: How do I write a statement of significance and Need?
A:
The Church Buildings Council produced Guidelines on Statements of Significance and Need in 2002, and revised them in 2007.
Statements of Significance and Need guidance (pdf*)
The guidance was a response to the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2000, which states that parishes intending to submit a faculty application for significant changes to a listed church should prepare such Statements to accompany the application.
The guidance has been updated to take various developments over the last five years into account, and also to provide more detailed guidance on Statements of Need, following feedback from dioceses, architects and parishes amongst others.
Q: Where can find further information on how to care for my church building?
A: Your DAC can give you advice and also provides a range of leaflets on various topics. The Church Buildings Council also has a variety of publications, from Church Extensions and Adaptations to Wildlife in Church and Churchyard (available from Church House Bookshop). See also Advice and Training.
