Obtaining a faculty involves displaying for 28 days a public notice to give any interested persons a chance to comment on or to object to the work that you want to do. If any objections are lodged, this will delay matters. If a project involves a permanent alteration to a listed church building, then obtaining a Notification of Advice may involve consulting Historic England and the national amenity societies. The faculty jurisdiction gives these bodies up to 42 days to reply with their views.
These procedures are legal requirements and can’t be dropped. Therefore, if you need to start or finish the work by a set date, please let us know at the earliest possible opportunity so that we can plan accordingly in order to meet your target dates. A faculty is only valid for a limited period, and the work that it authorises must be completed by a set date. Please take careful note of that date when you receive the faculty. It’s possible to extend a faculty in most circumstances, but you need to do that before it has expired, otherwise you may have to start the application process all over again.