Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committees

Expressions of interest: Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committees

Across the Church of England, volunteers form a hugely valued and important resource serving in a range of roles, including helping to care for and protect the nation's cathedrals - some of our most precious and significant buildings.

We would warmly welcome hearing from experienced professionals with an interest in cathedrals, and the time and specialist skills to serve on one of the voluntary Fabric Advisory Committees (FACs) that help to shape their conservation and development.

Works on and around the Church of England's cathedrals are controlled by a statutory planning system, in which FACs play a leading role. Each cathedral has its own FAC: a committee of 6-10 expert members that provides the cathedral with advice on the care, conservation and development of the cathedral buildings, their setting and contents, and deals directly with some applications for works that, under the secular planning system, would require listed building consent.

Each FAC is carefully constituted to contain expertise relevant to the cathedral's conservation and development. We wish to build up a list of suitable candidates who may be asked to join the FAC of one of 41 cathedrals in England for their next five-year term, beginning in April 2026, or to fill a casual vacancy. You can download more detailed information about the Care of Cathedrals Measure and the role of FACs here.

Serving on an FAC offers a unique chance to form a special bond with one of England's great buildings and with the people who use and care for it day to day. These roles are voluntary but reasonable expenses will be paid. The commitment typically involves four meetings a year, plus time to read and respond to application documents and advice requests.

We hope you will consider this opportunity even if you never previously imagined volunteering for the Church of England! We welcome applications from all walks of life and lived experience and are keen to hear from a diverse range of applicants. By diversity, we mean we want more skilled, experienced people who are also women; people of global majority heritage; LGBTQIA+; younger; with disabilities; and from all faith and social backgrounds. We believe that removing barriers to diversity and inclusion is a fundamental part of our becoming a "simpler, humbler, bolder" Anglican Church, and in our committees we hope to achieve more robust decision making informed by diverse voices drawn from all the people and communities the Church serves. There is no requirement to be a Christian, but as cathedrals exist to proclaim the Christian faith, appointees must be able to work comfortably and in sympathy with the mission of their Dean and Chapter.

Expressions of interest are invited from specialists in the following areas:

Accessibility in historic buildings

Archaeology

Architecture

Architectural history

Art, stained glass and sculpture - history, theory and practice

Church history

Conservation - buildings and objects

Contested Heritage

Engineering - structural, mechanical and electrical

Environmental conservation and management

Lighting and sound systems - design and installation

Liturgy and church organisation

Museums and collections management

Net Zero Carbon

Project management in a heritage context

Public realm, place making and landscape design

Town planning

Visitor and heritage management

To express interest please send a CV and covering letter (no more than two sides of A4) indicating your relevant area of expertise and experience, and the geographical area(s) or specific cathedrals you would be interested to serve.

All submissions should be emailed as PDF or Word documents to by 31 May 2025.

We will assess applications to form a pool of expertise from which to draw upon as and when openings arise (with the expectation that most appointments will begin in April 2026). Appointments to FACs will be made following an informal interview by the specific cathedral involved.