The Church of England has now released the Building Management Portal, a new national digital system for managing applications relating to works on churches, their contents, and churchyards..
The new portal has been designed to make the application process easier to follow and to improve consistency in the way casework is managed. It provides users clear information about application stages, supporting documents and the actions needed as an application progresses.
The portal has replaced the Online Faculty System. It is used for List A, List B, and faculty applications, as well as associated casework, consultation, documents, and decision stages.
The legal process itself has not changed. The Building Management Portal provides a new digital route for managing the existing permission framework. It is intended to make the process clearer, more structured, and easier to follow for applicants, parishes, diocesan teams, archdeacons, registrars, chancellors, and consultees.
Accessing the Building Management Portal
Users access the Building Management Portal through the CofE Portal. This provides a secure login route and includes two-factor authentication. Some users will also need to complete a one-time registration process so that their role, diocese, and church access can be assigned correctly.
Building Management Portal: https://buildings.churchofengland.org/
Existing and historic cases
Existing and historic cases from the Online Faculty System (OFS) have been migrated into the new portal. As part of onboarding, the DAC office team reviewed sample cases, tested key workflows, and checked imported case information.
Training and support
James Miles, Project Manager for the Building Management Portal, said:
“We appreciate that moving to a new national system will require some adjustment. The pilot phase has helped identify where users need clearer guidance, stronger support routes, and more time to check imported information. The national rollout has been shaped by that learning so that dioceses and users have a more structured transition from the Online Faculty System to the Building Management Portal. Thank you for your support as we prepare for this change.”
Training Videos
Further national information about the Building Management Portal is available on the Church of England website at www.churchofengland.org/BuildingManagementPortal.
If you require assistance with your List B or Faculty application, please email Emily Elliott: Emily.Elliott@peterborough-diocese.org.uk or Kieran Gleave kieran.gleave@peterborough-diocese.org.uk