All Parishes Churches and most other Churches, together with the Churchyards, curtilage and articles belonging to those Churches are subject to the Faculty Jurisdiction.
A Faculty is the Church of England's equivalent to planning permission or listed building consent.
At present most Church of England Churches are exempt from Local Authority listed building and conservation area control. This is known as the "ecclesiastical exemption". Local Authority planning permission may nevertheless be required for certain external works.
The Faculty Jurisdiction can take into account pastoral needs and the role of a Church as a local centre of worship and mission. Local Authority listed building control would be unlikely to do this.
The exemption will be lost if the Faculty Jurisdiction is not properly observed.
