Who Approves Repairs to a Church Roof?

Most listed buildings need listed building consent before work that alters their character. Section 60 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 lifts that duty for "any ecclesiastical building which is for the time being used for ecclesiastical purposes". Lawyers call this the ecclesiastical exemption. It does not give a free hand. The churches covered are expected to run their own checks instead.

Does the exemption cover every church?

No. The Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Order 2010 names the denominations that benefit, and everyone else falls back on the ordinary rules. A repair needing no council permission at one chapel can need listed building consent at the next chapel along the road.

For that reason we ask the owners one question before any survey is booked: which approval route applies to this building? The answer tells us who receives our description of the work, how long the process may take, and whether the first visit can only be a make-safe. Our single written price follows the survey in every case, so the cost is clear before anyone commits to a date, and churchwardens can take it to their committee.

Anglican churches within the faculty jurisdiction of the Church of England go through the faculty system. A faculty is a permission issued by the church's own court, usually requested through the parish. Catholic parishes, Methodist circuits and United Reformed congregations each operate separate approval arrangements for their worship buildings, set by the denomination rather than the council. A Baptist chapel qualifies only when its title is held on trust by one of the trust corporations listed in Schedule 1 to the 2010 Order. Baptists have no diocese, so the answer depends on who holds the title.

Who do we speak to first?

For Church of England buildings, the parish office or the churchwardens. For the others, the trustees or the denominational body that owns the site. The right contact varies by parish, and the church officers can say which authority applies.

Even work that looks like for-like replacement can need approval. New lead of the same weight may be simple. A switch to another metal is a decision for the approving body. We supply photographs, a lead specification and a plain account of what is being done.

Where the exemption does not reach, the church is handled like any other listed building. Listed building consent is the route for Unitarian chapels and Quaker meeting houses. It is also the route for redundant churches, any building held by the Churches Conservation Trust, and a chapel turned into a house where the listing remains. The consent comes from Somerset Council's planning team, or from Exmoor National Park Authority inside the Park.

Does the exemption remove planning permission?

Government guidance on the exemption is clear that outside works can still call for planning permission, and that scheduled monument consent is a separate matter altogether. Those controls sit alongside whichever internal system applies, so a project that alters the roofline as seen from outside deserves an early word with the planning team.

Unauthorised works can amount to an offence, so nothing starts until the route is settled. If the position is unclear, ring the council's listed buildings officer; a short call made before the survey can save weeks of delay and a good deal of worry for the parish. Our answer on how long lead flashing lasts helps church officers judge whether a section is due for renewal.

Some church buildings, ruined naves and towers are scheduled monuments as well. Under the 1979 monuments Act, section 2, it is an offence to carry out works unless they are authorised. The permission needed is scheduled monument consent, and it is given by the Secretary of State, never by the local council.

What do we do on a church roof?

We read the roof first and record it in photographs: valleys, parapet gutters, flashings, and the lead on aisles and towers. Church lead is often on a large scale, and a lead parapet or box gutter may sit behind a stone parapet. We set out the lead code and the area of repair so the approving body can judge a like-for-like case.

Access needs thought too. A high roof calls for scaffold set up properly, and poles that stand on the public road are covered by a Highways Act 1980 s169 licence. The scaffolder and we deal with that together, and the survey ends in one total, in writing.

When rain is already getting in, we cover the leak first and take up the consent question straight afterwards, so the interior, the organ and the furnishings are protected while the paperwork moves. Our lead work page lists the lead details we handle.