Faculty Jurisdiction and Solar PV: 2026 PCC Guide

What faculty jurisdiction means for parish solar

Faculty jurisdiction is the Church of England’s permitting system for any works to consecrated buildings. The legal basis is the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 2018 (which replaced the 1991 Measure and amended the 1986 Measure in turn). Every PCC contemplating any change to its building — including solar PV — must understand and follow this process.

For a parish church the principal authorising person is the Diocesan Chancellor, a senior legal figure (usually a King’s Counsel) appointed by the bishop. The Chancellor sits in the consistory court of the diocese and grants faculties on the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). The DAC is a multi-disciplinary committee with architects, conservation officers, archaeologists, clergy and laity. The DAC’s job is to advise the Chancellor on whether proposed works are appropriate to the building, the parish and the wider church.

For solar PV specifically, the picture in 2026 is encouraging. Most CofE dioceses have approved a dozen or more solar faculty applications since 2020. Several have published streamlined templates and pre-approved approaches. DAC offices are generally well-disposed toward parish solar where the application is properly prepared. The work for the PCC is to prepare a good application.

The five documents every faculty application needs

A complete faculty application for parish solar comprises:

1. The petition itself — a legal document signed by churchwardens authorising the application
2. PCC resolution — minuted resolution of a properly-convened PCC meeting authorising the works
3. Statement of Significance — the heritage analysis (more on this below)
4. Statement of Needs — why the works are necessary
5. Detailed proposal — drawings, panel specifications, fixings details, conservation impact assessment

In practice most applications also include: letters of support from the diocesan environment officer, indicative quotes from at least two installers, evidence of grant-funding routes, and (for listed buildings) Historic England engagement notes.

Writing the Statement of Significance

The Statement of Significance is the heritage analysis. It describes the building, its history, its architectural and archaeological importance, and the relevant fabric that the proposed works will affect. For solar PV this typically means: the roof structure, the slate or stone covering, any visible elevations, and the spatial setting of the church within the churchyard and wider conservation area.

The DAC wants to see that the PCC has properly considered the heritage value of the church before proposing works. A weak Statement of Significance is the single most common reason for DAC to send an application back for redrafting. We typically draft the Statement of Significance ourselves, based on the listing entry, the most recent quinquennial inspection report, the diocesan architect’s notes, and our own site survey. Length: typically 800–1,500 words for a parish church, more for a Grade I or II*.

The Statement of Significance does not need to be the work of a heritage consultant unless the building is Grade I or II*. Most PCCs use a competent installer’s draft. Where a parish has commissioned a recent quinquennial report from a CESA-registered architect, that report often contains 60–70% of the content needed for the Statement of Significance.

Writing the Statement of Needs

The Statement of Needs is the case for the works. For solar PV the standard structure is:

• Energy cost context — the parish’s recent electricity and (where relevant) gas bills
• Carbon context — alignment with the diocesan Net Zero plan and CofE national net zero by 2030
• Mission context — the theological case: stewardship, creation care, witness to the wider community
• Operational context — any specific operational reasons (e.g. heating costs forcing reduced opening hours)
• Alternatives considered — why solar PV rather than other interventions (LED lighting, insulation, heat pump)
• The proposed system — size, location, expected generation, payback

Most parish Statement of Needs documents run 600–1,200 words. The mission and stewardship sections are where the PCC adds genuine value — the parish knows its own ministry better than any installer.

DAC consultation and Notification of Advice

Once the application package is complete it goes to the DAC. The DAC typically meets quarterly (some dioceses meet bi-monthly). The DAC issues a Notification of Advice, which is one of:

• Recommended — the strongest possible endorsement
• Recommended with conditions — typical for solar applications; conditions might specify panel colour, fixing method, slope selection
• No objection — neutral, doesn’t recommend or object
• Objection — rare for properly-prepared solar applications, but possible for heritage-insensitive proposals

The Notification of Advice is not binding on the Chancellor — the DAC advises, the Chancellor decides — but in practice the Chancellor usually follows DAC advice unless there’s a strong reason to depart from it. A “recommended” or “recommended with conditions” Notification of Advice is the strongest position from which to proceed.

Public notice and the consistory court

After the DAC has issued its Notification of Advice, the application is put on public notice. This is a 28-day window during which any interested person can lodge an objection. The notice must be displayed on the church door and in any other places the Chancellor directs. For most parish solar applications no objections are received during the notice period; the application then goes to the Chancellor for grant.

Where objections are received, the Chancellor may direct further consultation, a hearing, or simply grant the faculty after considering the objection in writing. For solar applications, formal objections most commonly come from heritage amenity societies (SPAB, the Victorian Society, the Twentieth Century Society) and occasionally from local heritage groups.

Listed buildings — additional layers

For Grade II buildings, Listed Building Consent runs in parallel with the faculty (the civil regime applies to listed-building works, even on consecrated buildings). For Grade I and Grade II* buildings, Historic England is a statutory consultee and must be engaged. Engaging Historic England early — before the formal application — is strongly recommended; their pre-application advice is free and often substantially shapes the design.

For Grade I parish churches the application also typically triggers consultation with the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) if the building has cathedral-like national significance, and with the Church Buildings Council (CBC) for advisory input. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) typically receives copy notification of any application to a building of medieval date. The Victorian Society receives copy notification for applications affecting Victorian-era buildings. Each can lodge formal observations.

This sounds intimidating but in practice for a well-prepared solar application — black-on-black panels on a less-visible slope, with a clear conservation rationale — the heritage consultees are typically supportive. Historic England’s published guidance, Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) Panels, is the reference document and articulates an essentially permissive stance toward properly-designed solar.

Typical timescales — what to plan for

Realistic timescales from PCC resolution to faculty grant:

• Non-listed parish church: 10–14 weeks
• Grade II listed: 12–18 weeks
• Grade II listed:* 18–26 weeks
• Grade I listed: 24–40 weeks (Historic England substantially involved)

Once the faculty is granted, the works themselves typically take 1–4 weeks on site. Total project timescale from PCC decision to commissioning is therefore 6–14 months for most parish projects, with grant decisions and DNO connection running in parallel rather than serial.

Common reasons faculty applications fail

The most common reasons we see applications fail (or get sent back for redrafting):

• Weak Statement of Significance (heritage analysis insufficient)
• Visual treatment of panels not adequately addressed (panel colour, slope selection)
• Fixings method not described (or not reversible)
• Grant funding case not articulated
• PCC resolution missing or improperly minuted
• No engagement with the diocesan architect prior to submission

All of these are easily avoided with proper preparation. We’ve never had a faculty application refused. We’ve had a small number sent back for additional information, typically because the original DAC officer wanted more detail on a specific point — none have ultimately failed.

How we work with PCCs on faculty applications

Our standard approach:

1. Initial PCC meeting to discuss feasibility (free)
2. Free desk feasibility, PCC-ready report in 7 working days
3. On-site survey (free, no obligation to proceed)
4. PCC decision to proceed
5. We prepare the entire faculty package — Statement of Significance, Statement of Needs, drawings, conservation rationale, fixings detail
6. We engage with the DAC office, the diocesan architect, and any Historic England consultees
7. We represent the application at the chancery if needed
8. We handle the public notice period

All of this is included in our standard project fee — not billed separately as legal or consultancy work. Our installer fee covers the technical delivery and the faculty pathway as a single piece of work.

A note for Catholic, Methodist, URC and free-church readers

For non-CofE traditions, faculty jurisdiction doesn’t apply. Catholic parish buildings are owned by the diocesan trust and require diocesan finance committee approval but no faculty. Methodist, URC, Baptist and independent free-church buildings are subject to trustee approval and (for listed buildings) Listed Building Consent under the civil regime, but again no faculty. The permitting timescales are typically 4–9 months versus 6–14 months for CofE — substantially simpler. See our free churches, Catholic parishes and church halls pages for more.

Next steps for your PCC

If your PCC is considering parish solar and is wrestling with the faculty question, the practical next step is a free desk feasibility. We’ll model the system, identify the grant routes, and prepare an indicative timeline. Faculty preparation only begins after the PCC has resolved to proceed and we’ve completed a full on-site survey — typically months three or four of the project.