Canon 35 – List of Minor Works

The following is a list of minor works identified by the Provincial Buildings Committee as referred to in Canon 35, Section 1. Items are included on the list only in the event that they do not require planning permission. Where any matter does require planning permission it is not to be regarded as a minor work exempted from the scope of Canon 35.

A. Furniture and Fixtures

1. Decorative banners (in the church or curtilage) used for displays not lasting more than three months.
2. Fire Extinguishers (subject to the recommendation of the local Fire Officer, or other suitably qualified fire prevention specialist, as to location).
3. Introduction of movable bookcases or display stands.

B. Items of Work/Maintenance

1. Works of routine maintenance on the fabric of the church or in the curtilage of the church not involving demolition or additions of any sort, except where in the opinion of the Diocesan Buildings Committee they will result in a material alteration either externally or internally to the appearance of the church or affect its setting. This permitted work includes, for example, the replacement like-for-like of broken roof tiles or slates, clear, stained, painted or coloured window glass, the re-surfacing like-for-like of an existing path, the cleaning of gutters and down pipes.
2. Works of maintenance, repair and minor alterations to existing heating systems and electrical equipment and fittings which do not alter the appearance of the exterior or interior of the building (and for the avoidance of doubt this permission includes the alteration or replacement of light bulbs but does not include alterations to the type or location of light fittings).
3. Installation of a certified loop system for the hard of hearing (but if the system requires placement of loudspeakers approval must be sought).
4. External or internal decoration or redecoration (but only in the same colour scheme as the existing decoration) and replacement of carpets and curtains in the same colour as existing.

C. Items in the Curtilage of a Church

1. The erection of fencing.
2. The erection of signage.
3. The installation of portable garden items such as benches, planters, solar lights.
4. General gardening but not the planting of new trees nor the creation of a new memorial garden.
5. The creation of new drainage or service trenches.
6. The erection of gravestones.
7. The erection of a storage shed.
8. The interiors of detached halls or detached rectories within the curtilage of the church.

September 2019
Revised March 2023

Download as PDF
Download as Word Document