The petitioners sought a faculty to authorise the introduction into an unlisted church of a pod from which a post office would be run. The operating of the post office from the church was envisaged as a temporary replacement while a new permanent site was found elsewhere. It was decided that, as the installation was temporary and would occupy just part of the church, occupation under a licence was more appropriate than a lease under section 68 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. This would also allow flexibility for the closure of the post office should the church be required for a funeral or other occasional service. The chancellor used the test in section 68 as a helpful guide to the granting of the licence on the basis that it expressed the policy of the Church of England in relation to the introduction of secular uses into consecrated spaces. As the church was an unlisted building, the only test to be considered was whether there was justification to alter the status quo. The location of the pod would not impact on regular worship and the church would remain open during the week, with a chapel available for prayer. The missional purposes of both serving the community and making the church and its activities more accessible to the community justified the alteration, which was in any event a temporary change. The support of the community and the grant of planning permission also supported the grant of a faculty. The objections of neighbours about the impact on parking were held not to be justified, following the planning officer's assessment of the impact. The faculty was granted for six months, with leave to apply to extend the licence up to a further six months, the duration of the grant of planning permission. [Catherine Shelley]
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