Recent consistory court judgments: reordering, extensions and building works

Re St John the Baptist Burford [2014] Oxford Cons Ct, Alexander McGregor Ch

The vicar, one of the churchwardens and the chairman of the PCC’s fabric committee petitioned the court for a faculty to authorise works associated with the extension of the church hall, (Warwick Hall), including: removal of two trees; relocation of memorials; removal and rebuilding gate post; alterations to churchyard wall; resurfacing of path. They subsequently applied to amend the petition to omit “alterations to churchyard wall” from the Schedule of works or proposals.  This was significant since a number of the objections to the scheme related to changes to the wall: the petitioners contended that although they still wished to carry out the works to the wall, these are not subject to the jurisdiction of the court: it is not situated on land that forms part of the churchyard or other curtilage of the church, but on land that belongs exclusively to the parochial church council as the owners of Warwick Hall. Continue reading