QUINQUENNIAL INSPECTIONS

There is a legal requirement for the architectural inspection of church buildings and their curtilage every five years. Those who carry out these inspections must be approved by the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (DAC) and included on an authorised list. This ensures that parishes employ architects who have experience in church repair and maintenance. If a PCC wishes to change its architect, the secretary of the DAC (who may be contacted at the Diocesan Office) is able to supply the PCC with the list of approved architects; no such change may be made without informing the DAC.

When a church’s next Quinquennial Inspection is due, the Secretary of the DAC will inform the secretary of the PCC several months in advance of the date, to allow for the Inspection to take place at the appropriate time. The fee for the inspection is covered by the Diocesan Board of Finance.

After inspecting the building, the architect will send a copy or copies of the report to the PCC, one to the Archdeacon, and one to the secretary of the DAC.

When the report has been received, it is the responsibility of the PCC to consider it carefully and to see that wherever possible the work recommended in the report is carried out. Normally it is expected that the architect who made the report will be the architect instructed to prepare any consequential specification, and to supervise the work. PCCs should note that almost all work recommended in quinquennial inspection reports will require consultation with the DAC and usually a faculty. More details of this are to be found in the next section.