Why permission is needed

Every parish church, presbytery, hall and parish-owned property in the Diocese of Shrewsbury is held in trust by the Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust, registered charity number 234025. The trust is the legal owner. The parish has the use and care of the building, but the trustees, advised by the diocesan officers, decide on works that change the fabric, the value or the use of the property. This is not bureaucratic caution. It is how a charity protects assets held for the mission of the Church.

What kinds of work need permission

You need formal permission for any of the following:

• Structural alterations, extensions or demolitions.
• Re-roofing, re-rendering or external painting.
• Internal reordering, including liturgical reordering (see the separate guide on faculties).
• Boiler replacement, electrical rewiring, or major plumbing.
• New car parks, pathways, or boundary walls.
• Installation or removal of stained glass, statues, fonts, altars, organs or bells.
• Anything affecting a listed building or a building in a conservation area.
• Letting or hire of premises that involves a structural change or a long-term lease.

If you are not sure, ask before you proceed. Ringing the Curial Office before the work starts is far less painful than receiving a letter after.

The eight steps

1. Begin with a parish discussion. The parish priest, the Parish Finance Committee and any relevant committee (heritage, fabric) talk through the project, including need, scope and indicative cost. Minutes are kept.
2. Check the Quinquennial Inspection report. Every parish church should have a Quinquennial (five-yearly) inspection by an approved architect or surveyor. The report flags works due, urgent and routine. New projects are weighed against this list. If your inspection is overdue, ring the Curial Office to arrange one.
3. Contact the Curial Office at info@dioceseofshrewsbury.org or 0151 652 9855 to register the project. Ask for the Property Office contact for your project, and request the project initiation form.
4. Obtain at least three quotes from suitably qualified contractors. The trust expects competitive tendering for any project of meaningful value. The Property Office can advise on minimum thresholds and on contractors who have worked with the diocese before.
5. Prepare the supporting paperwork: scope of works, three quotes, parish funding plan, photographs of the existing condition, drawings if relevant, planning advice for listed buildings or conservation areas, and a project timeline.
6. Submit the package to the Property Office via info@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. The office will route it to the trustees and, where relevant, to the Diocesan Art and Architecture Committee.
7. Wait for written approval. The trustees meet on a published cycle. Major projects take three to six months to clear. Small repairs are quicker. Verbal approval is not approval.
8. Begin work only after the written permission is in your hand. Keep all invoices, certifications, building control sign-off and warranties. Send copies to the Property Office.

Listed buildings

Many of the parish churches in the diocese are listed. Listing means that any work affecting the special architectural or historic interest requires Listed Building Consent from the local authority, in addition to diocesan permission. The diocese works with the Catholic Church's Historic Churches Committee framework, which provides ecclesiastical exemption for certain works. The Property Office advises on which route applies. Do not apply to the local authority before the diocese has guided you.

Faculties

For works affecting the liturgical interior of a church (sanctuary, altar, font, tabernacle, sacred art, fixed seating, stations of the cross), a faculty is normally required. This is a separate process involving the Diocesan Art and Architecture Committee and the Bishop. See the separate guide, How to Apply for a Faculty for Liturgical Reordering.

Funding

The parish is responsible for funding its own works, normally from parish reserves and parish fundraising. The Property Office can advise on grant routes for heritage projects, including the National Churches Trust, the Allchurches Trust, and Historic England programmes. Grants take time. Build them into the timeline at the planning stage.

Insurance and health and safety

Confirm your contractors hold current public liability insurance and are competent for the work. The parish remains the duty holder under health and safety law for the site. The Property Office can guide you on Construction (Design and Management) Regulations responsibilities for larger projects.

Key contacts

• Curial Offices: 2 Park Road South, Prenton, Wirral CH43 4UX.
• Property and trust enquiries: info@dioceseofshrewsbury.org, 0151 652 9855.
• Charity: Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust, registered charity number 234025.

Plan early. Apply early. The trustees would rather guide a project well than fix one that has gone ahead without their sign-off.