Applying for a faculty is a two-step process. The first step is to apply to the DAC for Formal Advice. The faculty petition is then submitted to the Diocesan Registry for the Chancellor’s consideration.
Submitting an Application to the DAC for Formal Advice
All faculty applications are now processed through the Online Faculty System. However, parishes may submit an application to the DAC in any of the following three ways:
- Through the Online Faculty System. Please register for an account with the Online Faculty System and follow the steps outlined in the Parish User Guide here.
- By email. Please download a copy of the DAC application pack here (, and email it with the supporting paperwork to dac@chichester.anglican.org.
- By post. Please download a copy of the DAC application pack here, and post a single copy to The Church Buildings Team, Church House, 211 New Church Road, Hove, BN3 4ED.
Applications should be submitted several weeks before a DAC meeting, so that there is time for them to be reviewed and added to the agenda; please see the meeting dates and corresponding deadlines for applications here.
If you are submitting a DAC application for the first time or have any queries about the process, please get in touch with the Church Buildings team who will be happy to assist.
After the DAC meeting
Following the DAC meeting, the Church Buildings team will parishes to let them know the outcome of their application, and advising on next steps.
The Notification of Advice will communicate that the DAC’s formal advice to the Chancellor is that the Committee:
- Recommends the proposals for approval
- Recommends the proposals for approval, with provisos
- Does Not Object to the proposals
- Does Not Recommend the proposals for approval
Alternatively, the DAC may defer the application and either request further information or ask the parish to give further consideration to an aspect of the proposals. The parish then submits the further information or a response to points raised in time for consideration at a future DAC meeting.
It generally takes about two weeks for the minutes of the meeting to be written up and approved by the DAC Chair, and for the Church Buildings team to respond formally to parishes. However, please feel free to the telephone from the day after the meeting for an informal update.
Public Notices, Provisos, and submitting the application to the Registry
Following the DAC meeting, the Church Buildings team will advise on downloading the Public Notice form from the Online Faculty System, and displaying it inside and outside your church for 28 days. You will also need to make a set of plans available for the public to view on request.
The email from the Church Buildings Team will also advise on how to pay the faculty fee to the Diocesan Registry.
If the Notification of Advice contains provisos, you should let the Church Buildings team know how you intend to address these. It is helpful if you include any correspondence in respect of provisos when you submit the faculty petition to the Registry.
At the end of the public notice period, the Public Notice Certificate should be completed on the Online Faculty System.
Submitting the Faculty Petition to the Diocesan Registry
The Church Buildings Team will also advise on how to submit your application to the Diocesan Registry, for the Chancellor’s consideration. This is now done through the Online Faculty System.
The Chancellor will consider the application and decide whether to grant a faculty or not. If the proposals have attracted opposition, the Chancellor may decide to hold a consistory court hearing before making a decision. Please note that the DAC advice is purely advisory and that the decision on whether a faculty should be granted is always made by the Chancellor.
Further information about the faculty jurisdiction and how decisions in respect of faculty petitions are made by Diocesan Chancellors is available here on the Church of England website.
Once the faculty petition has been submitted to the Diocesan Registry, any queries should be directed to the Diocesan Registry rather than the Church Buildings team. For example, you may need to contact the Registry if you have a query about the status of a faculty application or in order to request an amendment or extension to an existing faculty.