Advice and guidance on how to apply for a DAC Certificate ahead of making an application to the Diocesan Registrar for a Faculty from the Chancellor for works to: -
1. A church or churchyard - but NOT TREES - for works to trees, please see the page entitled Trees in Churchyards
2. The Memorials / pathways in the consecrated sections of local authority cemeteries or burial grounds
Many of our churches are listed and so The Church of England has to follow procedures similar to the secular process for obtaining Listed Building Consent. For all churches (both listed and unlisted) a Faculty (permission) is normally required for all repairs, alterations or additions to churches, their contents and the churchyards and land belong to them.
To find out whether a Faculty or Minor Works permission is required, PCCs and borough/town/parish councils should first consult the Minor Works List, which is on the Minor Works page. If there is any doubt as to whether a Faculty or Minor Works permission is needed, then the DAC Secretary should be consulted before any work is started.
Faculty permission provides the PCC not only with authority to undertake work but also with protection in the event of any subsequent objections to work that has been done. Work undertaken without a Faculty leaves the PCC exposed to the possibility of not only subsequent objections to the Chancellor but also to an order from the Chancellor to re-instate what has been changed at the PCC's expense. Faculties are granted by the Chancellor of the Diocese, who is the judge of the Consistory Court. In deciding whether or not to grant a Faculty, the Chancellor takes advice from a variety of bodies including the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC): - the DAC does not grant Faculties; it only advises.
The DAC comprises a range of people with differing expertise and their advice can be sought on a variety of topics including, heating, organs, stained glass, general architectural matters, bells, art, sound amplification systems, lighting, furniture and church fittings, reordering schemes and others. In order to advise the Chancellor, it is necessary for each application for a DAC Certificate to be considered carefully. This requires full details to be supplied so that the application can be fully assessed on the evidence of the paperwork. Applicants should consult the DAC Office if they are in any doubt as to what should be submitted.
The Faculty process seeks to answer the following three questions: -
'(1) Have the petitioners proved a necissity for some or all of the proposed works, either because they are necessary for the pastoral well-being of {the church} or for some other compelling reason?
(2) Will some or all of the works adversely affect the character of the church as a building of special architectural and historical interest?
(3) If the answer to question (2) is yes, then is the necessity proved by the petitioners such that in the exercise of the court's discretion a faculty should be granted for some or all of the works?'
The DAC's task is to advise the Chancellor on whether the application meets these criteria. For further information, please download the relevant documents below.
The DAC has produced a guidance note (available below) of the information that should be included in the architect's specification.
Please note: As of 2 September 2011, the application has been split into two with a separate application form when applying for advice from the DAC and for a Certificate (the Faculty Petition form). If a PCC applies for advice in the first instance, the DAC Certificate will not be issued until the completed Faculty Petition form has been received by the DAC Office. When the DAC Certificate is issued, all the papers submitted by the PCC (including the Faculty Petition form) will be sent directly to the Diocesan Registrar. This means that the PCC will only need to send the Diocesan Registrar the completed Public Notices once the 28 days' display period is over.
1. Before applying, please read these documents first
| Name | Description | Download |
| Advice and Certificate (Fabric) Application Submissions 15th Oct 2009 |
A guidance note on what documentation to submit to the DAC for a variety of different works |  20.33KB |
| Architect's Specification 11th Apr 2008 |
Guidance on what the DAC expects from an architect's specification | 197.36KB |
| DAC Meeting Dates - Coventry Diocese 16th Mar 2012 |
A list of the meeting dates of the Coventry DAC and the cut-off dates for the submission of papers for the Agenda | 58.12KB |
| Faculty Process 2nd Sep 2011 |
Guidance note on how the Faculty process works | 59.57KB |
| Faculty Questions & Answers 3rd Feb 2011 |
A set of answers to frequently asked questions | 26.63KB |
2. Seeking Advice from the DAC
| Name | Description | Download |
| Advice (Fabric) Application Checklist 2nd Sep 2011 |
A checklist of the documentation to submit in pdf format | 13.12KB |
| Advice (Fabric) Application Checklist 17th Nov 2011 |
A checklist of the documentation to submit in Word format |  91.5KB |
| Advice (Fabric) Application Form 17th Nov 2011 |
Application form for applying for advice from the DAC in pdf format | 14.91KB |
| Advice (Fabric) Application Form 2nd Sep 2011 |
Application form for applying for advice from the DAC in Word format | 91KB |
| Advice (Fabric) Application Guidance Note 11th Nov 2011 |
A Guidance Note on how to complete the Application for Advice from the DAC form | 15.54KB |
3. Seeking a Certificate from the DAC
| Name | Description | Download |
| Certificate (Fabric) Application Form 5th Oct 2011 |
The Faculty Petition form for applying for a Certificate from the DAC in pdf format | 48.16KB |
| Certificate (Fabric) Application Form 5th Oct 2011 |
The application form for applying for a Certificate from the DAC in Word format | 163KB |
| Certificate (Fabric) Application Guidance Note 11th Nov 2011 |
Guidance on how to complete the Faculty Petition (Certificate from the DAC Application Form) | 22.83KB |
4. General guidance documents
| Name | Description | Download |
| Conservators Reports 2nd Sep 2011 |
Guidance from the Council for the Care of Churches (CCC) on the minimum information that ought to be in Conservator's Reports for various proposals | 141.75KB |
| Options Appraisal exemplar 2nd Sep 2009 |
A sample to show how an Options Appraisal might be put together | 121.54KB |
| Statements of Significance - Exemplar 17th Dec 2007 |
An example of a Statement of Significance that the DAC found particularly helpful | 659.79KB |
| Statements of Significance and Need 4th Jan 2012 |
Guidance for the Church Buildings Council (CBC)on writing Statements of Significance and Need | 386.58KB |
| Useful Addresses 16th Apr 2012 |
A list of addresses that might be useful | 31.13KB |