DAC site visit to St Giles, Cripplegate
The DAC may ask to visit your Church to discuss a project, e.g. for repairs, reorderings or an extension. Or the Parish's project organiser may wish to discuss with the Care of Churches Team (the Care of Churches Team) whether a visit is needed for a particular project, and at what stage.
Any visit may be for a staff member in the Care of Churches Team, and/or one or two committee members, to offer preliminary advice, or it may be for a larger group to discuss the project in detail. One of the staff will attend to take notes.
You need to plan your DAC visit well, to get the most of the time which DAC members including volunteers and experts give to it.
DAC representatives need a choice of dates and times, two or three weeks in advance. The Archdeacon's office will offer suggestions to the Parish. These alternatives should be reviewed with all parish representatives who are to come - e.g. the Vicar, Churchwardens/PCC members, the Architect or Quinquennial Inspector. Then the Archdeacon's office will need to know all of those which are still open, to circulate to DAC representatives. If there is no choice, and/or a date is offered at short notice, every effort will be made to fit in but it may be difficult.
Before the visit the Care of Churches Team will confirm with a printed notice. It is necessary to have particulars of the project in advance, to brief the DAC party and to circulate with the notice. The Care of Churches Team will also ask you about any safety hazards on site (see In depth advice), so a warning can be put on the notice if necessary.
When visitors arrive, a warm welcome with tea and a biscuit is always appreciated! It is good to open up in plenty of time in bad weather.
The meeting needs a Chairman - some senior person such as the Archdeacon or the Vicar. Parish representatives should present the Church's Needs and ambitions, lead a tour round the affected areas, then give an opportunity for questions and discussion.
DAC representatives will want to withdraw for a few minutes to confer. If appropriate, they may give an indication of their conclusions before leaving, and will indicate any more information needed for the Committee to discuss, as well as any other bodies, such as English Heritage, who should be consulted. The views of the visiting group are their own opinions, not those of the Committee. An official response will be made after the DAC meeting to which the visiting group will report.
If the visit was based on preliminary sketches, a full DAC application will still need to be made, with all the necessary information. If the visiting group and/or the meeting which follows make comments or recommendations for the Parish to consider, a response to these will also be needed. The DAC's consideration of the case will not be able to progress till then.
The DAC will not make the final decision on your project and cannot give a go-ahead. You still need the faculty, usually decided by the Chancellor, or else a pastoral scheme. In either case, Care of Churches staff will explain the process. If you are in doubt about anything, speak to your Archdeacon or the Care of Churches Team.
- How do I get a Faculty?
- Building repairs
- Building an extension
- Checklists for applications
- In depth advice by topic
