Faculties

Request for Formal Advice from the DAC

Use Form A1 and the questionnaire to seek formal advice from the DAC, as the first stage of the process of petitioning for a faculty. If the proposals include work to any trees in the churchyard, please contact Church House as soon as possible, as you will need to complete an additional/alternative form to cover this work.

Please ensure that you read the notes below, together with the commentary attached to the questionnaire, before submitting your request and that you supply copies of all the information requested. Any omissions could result in your application being delayed, as the DAC will be unable to reach a decision until they have all the relevant information.

1. You should inform your Archdeacon that you are submitting a request for formal advice and give brief details of the general nature of the proposals. This will enable him to assist the DAC when the application is considered.
    

2. Please ensure that Form A1 is signed and dated by the intending petitioners.
    

3. You will see that the questionnaire begins at page 3. The first two pages comprise the Petition for Faculty form, which will be attached to the questionnaire, once the appropriate certificate has been issued, to form part of your petition to the Chancellor or Archdeacon. Paragraphs T and U, therefore, should only be completed once you have received the appropriate certificate from the DAC.
    

4. You should submit two copies of all supporting documentation, including:

   1. A detailed specification from the architect, which should include preliminaries and the requirements for site supervision, the minimum levels of insurance and the requirements for fulfilling the obligations set down in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994. The Health & Safety Executive publishes Notes on the Regulations.
      
      Please note that most projects likely to involve building works are legally subject to the CDM Regulations. There are particular requirements if the works will last for more than 30 days or involve more than 4 people being on site at any one time. The Regulations place specific duties relating to health and safety on the client (e.g. PCC), the architect or designer, the planning supervisor and the contractor(s) involved in a project. In the first instance, the architect or designer has a duty to inform the PCC how the Regulations affect the project. The PCC has a duty to appoint a competent planning supervisor who will provide health and safety advice and formally notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), where necessary, to ensure compliance with the Regulations by everyone involved in the project. The HSE have legal powers of inspection and enforcement of the Regulations.
       

   2. If a detailed specification has been prepared by someone other than your architect (e.g. a mechanical specification by a heating engineer) then a letter from your architect, commenting on the proposals, should accompany the papers. If work is to be undertaken inside the church, information should also be provided regarding adequate protection of the organ.
       

   3. Reports/specifications from other specialists involved in the project (e.g. conservators, organ builders etc.)
       

   4. The Statement of Significance and Statement of Needs
       

   5. Signed PCC resolution (not the whole set of Minutes, just the relevant section)
       

   6. Where the proposals involve extensions or alterations to existing electrical systems, a current electrical test certificate must be included. (The certificate must be dated within the last five years.)
       

   7. Working drawings, supporting plans, sketches, photographs and samples (carpet, materials, etc.). Please bear in mind that the DAC will not necessarily have first hand knowledge of your church. The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for the DAC to reach a speedy decision on your application.
       

5. It is of the utmost importance that the parish seeks to consult those other bodies that may have an interest in the works to be undertaken. Those who should be consulted may include English Heritage, the local planning authority, the amenity societies, or the Council for the Care of Churches. The DAC hopes to see that any necessary consultation will have been sought before a formal application is made to the Committee. If this is not the case, any certificate the DAC issues will recommend the organisations that you should approach for comments before you petition the Chancellor and this may delay the issue of a faculty. Your inspecting architect or the DAC Secretary will be able to advise you on the appropriate bodies you should approach.
    

6. Many parishes have found it helpful to involve the DAC at the very earliest point in any proposals by seeking informal advice. The Committee will happily look at applications at this early stage and will give advice on possible contractors, different approaches that the parish may not have considered, or assistance where the parish may have difficulties. This often saves time and money at a later stage when the DAC may have comments to make on plans already prepared by an architect.
    

7. If you wish your request to be considered at the next DAC meeting, all the relevant forms and supporting documentation must be returned by the appropriate closing date. We try to ensure these are listed in the Calendar: click on “Diocesan Advisory Committee” in the pink list.
   
   Please make sure a copy is kept of all the papers you send to this department. The small additional cost of Recorded Delivery may be worth considering.
   
   If you would like to receive an acknowledgement of safe receipt of your application, could you please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope when returning the completed forms.

8. Either an appropriate certificate, or a letter summarising the committee’s observations will be posted within a week of the DAC meeting. The DAC Secretary may telephone to consult on any points for clarification. At what is always a busy time for the department, it would help us if you did not telephone to ascertain the progress of your petition, as this can delay production of the relevant correspondence.
    

9. All correspondence regarding your application will be addressed to the person nominated as the parish’s contact, as shown on Form A1. It will be his/her responsibility to circulate such correspondence to appropriate members of the parish and the inspecting architect.
    

10. Parishes should remember that the DAC does not give permission to carry out work. Its recommendation is to the Chancellor or the Archdeacon who grants the necessary faculty and it is only at this stage that works may commence.
     

Please do not hesitate to contact Church House should you have any queries or concerns about your application.

A Statement of Significance means a short document which summarises the historical development of the church and identifies the important features that make major contributions to the character of your church. Such information can be drawn from a church guide or handbook, but this may need to be supplemented or updated. The Statement will be of permanent value as an information base both within the parish and the diocese. Further guidance can be found in the Rule Committee’s booklet Making Changes to a Listed Church*.

A Statement of Needs is a written document agreed by the parochial church council (which will be responsible for meeting the cost of the proposed changes). It is required whether the church is listed or not. It should set out the reasons why it is considered that the needs of the parish cannot be met without making the proposed significant changes (e.g. removing pews) and why the changes are regarded as necessary to assist the church in its worship and mission. For listed churches please refer to Making Changes to a Listed Church*.

*Copies of this booklet can be obtained from the Secretary to the Rule Committee, Legal Office, Church House, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3NZ.

• English Heritage

• The local Planning Authority (Borough or District Council)

• National Amenity Societies:

  • The Council for British Archaeology

  • The Ancient Monuments Society

  • Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

  • The Georgian Group

  • The Victorian Society

  • The Twentieth Century Society

• Council for the Care of Churches