Quick answer
Faculty jurisdiction is the Church of England's permitting system for any works to consecrated buildings, codified in the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 2018. Every solar PV installation on a CofE parish church requires a faculty granted by the diocesan Chancellor on the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC).
Full answer
Faculty jurisdiction is unique to the Church of England (the Church in Wales has a similar parallel system under its Constitution). Catholic, Methodist, URC, Baptist and free-church buildings are NOT subject to faculty jurisdiction; their works follow the civil regime via local planning authorities and (for listed buildings) Listed Building Consent.
The faculty process: PCC resolution → Statement of Significance + Statement of Needs drafted → application submitted to DAC → DAC issues Notification of Advice (Recommended / Recommended with conditions / No objection / Objection) → 28-day public notice → Chancellor's grant. Typical timescale 10–18 weeks for non-listed and Grade II; longer for higher grades.
Three parties are involved at each application: the petitioner (PCC), the DAC (advisory committee with architects, conservation officers, archaeologists, clergy and laity), and the Chancellor (senior legal figure, typically a King's Counsel). For Grade I and Grade II* buildings, Historic England is also a statutory consultee. SPAB (medieval buildings) and the Victorian Society (Victorian buildings) receive notification and can lodge formal observations.
Cost: faculty applications themselves are typically £50–£500 in court fees, but the substantive cost is in the drafting (Statement of Significance, Statement of Needs, drawings). Specialist installers like us include all drafting as part of the standard project fee — not billed separately.
Related questions
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