Church of England Greets Support for Ecclesiastical Exemption

The Church of England and the Churches Main Committee have welcomed the latest proposals released yesterday from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s support for ‘ecclesiastical exemption’ from listed building control. The DCMS proposals for purely voluntary ‘Heritage Partnership Agreements’ replace the suggestion of a ‘High Level Management Agreement with English Heritage’ in the Department’s February 2004 consultation paper.

"We are delighted to see that the Department has recognised the real benefits of the Church's own comprehensive arrangements for control over works to its buildings," commented the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres. "Exciting work is in progress to pilot arrangements for partnership agreements that can build on the comprehensive system that already exists. The Church is very conscious of its responsibilities for so much of the Nation's priceless heritage, and appreciates the partnerships of other bodies in ensuring that the controls work to the benefit of the historic environment as well as the Church's worship and mission."

"The denominations which operate their own systems of control over their listed buildings are all confident that the hard work they have put in to develop these systems has been acknowledged," said the Bishop of Southwell, the Rt Revd George Cassidy, Chairman of the Churches Main Committee (representing the six denominations which benefit from the ‘ecclesiastical exemption’). "While all the denominations are keen to streamline their procedures so far as possible, it is very good news that the Government has accepted the value of the arrangements built up since 1994."

The statement issued earlier today by Culture Minister David Lammy followed a consultation issued in February last year and preceding discussion. According to the statement, it accepts that those denominations currently benefiting from the ‘ecclesiastical exemption’ from listed building control should retain it.

Individual churches, cathedrals or groups of churches will be encouraged to voluntarily enter into ‘Heritage Partnership Agreements’ together with the English Heritage, local authority and other suitable partners to launch a framework for deciding which works need approval and to restructure the management process.

Currently, initial discussions between two cathedrals and two dioceses are taking place to direct the concept. Likewise, discussions are taking place with the Roman Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton and with the Methodist Church as well.

The option for denominations to enter into a ‘High Level Management Agreement with English Heritage’ to monitor the operation of the exemption as proposed in the February 2004 paper has been significantly modified and replaced by the proposals for voluntary ‘Heritage Partnership Agreements.’

The Heritage Protection Review being carried out by DCMS proposes to move towards a single system of designating historically important sites to replace listing and scheduling of ancient monuments, and a single unified consent to replace listed building control and scheduled monument control. Today’s announcement links the operation of controls of ecclesiastical sites to the Heritage Protection Review. A White Paper is expected to be released in Spring 2006, followed by legislation in 2007/8.

The Church of England, Church in Wales, Roman Catholic Church, Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, and the Baptist Union of Great Britain are denominations operating their own systems of control over listed buildings. Today’s announcement has not affected the Church in Wales and a separate review of the operation of the system in Wales has been carried out for CADW by Peter Howell.