From 1 August the long-promisedadoption of the Church of Englands online system for applications under theFaculty Jurisidiction Rules (2015) will be open for business. The Online Faculty System is a web-based planningportal where parishes can develop proposals for new works in their churchbuilding, obtain DAC advice, record List A items, and apply for List B andFaculty. The portal also allows parishes, the DAC, the Registrar, theChancellor and the Archdeacons to access information on a particular petitionquickly and efficiently in a single online space. This ensures the smoothprogression of any application from beginning to end.
TheURL of the system is https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org
Eachchurch should look to allocate two users to sign-up to the system. Thiswould ordinarily be a churchwarden, vicar or fabric officer (dependent on theadministration structure of the church) but other personnel such as a friendsgroup chair or the church architect can be authorised to become a user with acovering note from the PCC or incumbent. Users can be allocated multiplechurches: good for clergy in large benefices or parish administrators or fabricofficers who cover more than one church in the parish or benefice. Amember of my department must ratify each registration before you are able tostart a petition; I am also the primary administrator of the system so contactme for any troubleshooting.
Thesystem can be used for all levels of permission: from recording your List Aworks (rather than recording them in a log book); applying to the archdeaconfor List B works and applying to the Chancellor for a Faculty. Theapplication forms are replicated on-screen before then uploading any supportingdocuments to the document bank (drawings, specifications, images, records ofconsultations etc.).
Worcesteris the 29th diocese (of 42) to sign-up to the system: we hope thatthis means it is user-friendly and that most of the teething issues have beenironed out. There is a set of user manuals in the Help section whichtake you through an application step-by-step but please do contact me if youare having difficulty. We will continue to accept paper applicationsuntil the end of the year; thereafter only in exceptional circumstance. Note that the system does not yet allow for applications for reservation ofgrave spaces or private petitions for memorials in churchyards: these willstill require a paper application for now.
Iplan on organising some surgery sessions in each deanery through the autumnso keep an eye out for these dates appearing. The move online should becelebrated: not only will the amount of paper and postage used in applying forfaculty be significantly diminished but we will also move in line with ourcolleagues in the secular planning system who already operate an onlineapplication system. It may feel complex to begin with but will soonhopefully be second nature.
https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org
https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org/help
https://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/diocesan-compendium/church-buildings/
