The Care of Cathedrals Measure 1990, as amended by the Care of Cathedrals (Amendment) Measure 2005

What is the Care of Cathedrals Measure?
The Care of Cathedrals Measure took effect in 1990 and has similar statutory force to an Act of Parliament. It provides a framework for the care and conservation of all Church of England cathedrals in England (excluding Oxford), which are exempt from listed building control. This exemption applies to the cathedral church itself and to those of its ancillary buildings that are in ecclesiastical use.

The Measure also established the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. This is the national central body responsible for advising on cathedral matters and for approving certain types of work to a cathedral or in its precinct. In turn, each cathedral also has its own Fabric Advisory Committee (FAC) to provide advice to the Chapter on the care, conservation and development of the cathedral. These committees also approve other types of work not reserved to the Commission. Whilst cathedrals are exempt from listed building control, they are not exempt from planning or other such controls. More information is available in Procedural Guide 1 The Care of Cathedrals Measure 1990, as amended: A General Introduction and Context (March 2008).

On January 1st, 2008 the Care of Cathedrals (Amendment) Measure 2005 came into force, amending the Care of Cathedrals Measure 1990.  The accompanying Care of Cathedrals Rules 2006 came into force, replacing the Care of Cathedrals Rules 1990 in their entirety.  The basic principles of the 1990 Measure remain, but the Amendment Measure formalised existing good practice in a number of areas, clarified the scope of controls and made some changes to duties and procedures.

What type of work does the Care of Cathedrals Measure, as amended, cover?

Under the Measure, approval is required for:

• works, including works of repair or maintenance, that would materially affect:

• the architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic character of the cathedral

• its immediate setting

• any archaeological remains within its precinct

• the sale, loan or disposal of any object owned by the Chapter, in its possession or to the possession of which it is entitled, which is of architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic interest

• the carrying out of any work to any such object, which would materially affect the object's architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic interest

• the permanent addition to the cathedral of any object which would materially affect its architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic interest

Works that are temporary (i.e. interpreted by the Commission as being for less than 12 months, and not falling into the categories above) do not require approval.

Which types of work are the Commission and FACs each concerned with?

The Commission must give approval for works, including works of repair or maintenance, that would involve:

• demolition or permanent alteration of any part of a cathedral church or certain of its ancillary buildings
• the disturbance or destruction of any archaeological remains within the cathedral precinct (including below ground remains and standing fabric)
• the sale, loan or disposal of, or carrying out of any work to, any object on the cathedral's Inventory which is designated as being of outstanding architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic interest

The Commission can also "call-in" proposals for its own determination where it judges that they raise architectural, archaeological, artistic or historic considerations of special interest.

The local FAC must give approval for all other types of work. This may include repair of the building, liturgical reordering, commissioning new works of art or new lighting and sound systems. More information is available in Procedural Guide 2 Proposals Requiring Approval and Making an Application (March 2008).

Please direct any queries about the Care of Cathedrals Measure, as amended, and its operation to the Commission. The Care of Cathedrals Measure 1990 and the Care of Cathedrals (Amendment) Measure 2005 should be read in tandem. The Measures and the 2006 Rules are available to download from the Office of Public Sector Information website. However, an integrated text, amalgamating the 1990 and 2005 Measures in one document is available to download here.

Single hard copies of all the Commission's Guidance Notes and other publications are available free of charge on request.  They may also be downloaded free of charge from this website.

To assist Cathedral Administrators, the most commonly used forms relating to the Measure are available to download here. These forms are reproduced under the terms of Crown Copyright Policy Guidance issued by HMSO.

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© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2004-08