Faculty Jurisdiction (Ecclesiastical Exemption)
Faculty jurisdiction is a system for ensuring all repairs and alterations to churches and churchyards are planned and carried out with proper consideration given to the historic fabric and architectural significance of the building, and to the archaeological impact on the churchyard.
It is administered by the Consistory Court of the Diocese. The faculty is a licence issued by the Court on behalf of the Bishop, permitting work to be carried out.
The task of the ecclesiastical courts in exercising the faculty jurisdiction
is to ensure that the sacred spaces are protected, that the parishioners are duly consulted and that the wider aesthetic interests of the public are considered, but remembering always that a church is a place of worship and mission, not a museum” (1993 – Newsom & Newsom report)
Faculty replaces the need for listed building procedures which apply to secular buildings and, importantly, allows for due regard to be given to the “role of a church as a local centre of worship and mission”. Faculty jurisdiction does not replace the general planning laws: Building Regulations apply and planning permission will be required when alterations affect the exterior of a church, the churchyard or the change of use of part of the church.
Faculty applies to listed and unlisted churches. All repairs and alterations to churches and churchyards, including furnishings, fittings, additions and removals, are subject to the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules.
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