Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007

7 In section 44—

(a) any reference to the Advisory Board shall be construed as a reference to the Church Buildings Council;

(b) in subsection (2) for the word “six” there shall be substituted the word “nine”; and

(c) after subsection (9A) there shall be inserted the following subsections—

“(9B) If—

(a) the Church Buildings Council has prepared a report, under section 3(8), about a church in respect of which the mission and pastoral committee is considering whether to make a recommendation that a declaration of closure for regular public worship be made, and

(b) the Commissioners, after consulting the Council, are of the opinion that, in the event of the church being closed for regular public worship and no suitable alternative use being found for it, it is likely that the building is of such historic and archaeological interest or architectural quality that it ought to be preserved in the interests of the nation and the Church of England,

the Commissioners may, with the consent of the mission and pastoral committee, and subject to any conditions or limitations which they may specify, request the Churches Conservation Trust to give advice to them and, if specified, advice or assistance to any other specified person or body, in identifying and developing proposals for any use or uses of the church, or any part of it, which would be consistent with the primary use of the church as a whole as a place of worship and which would have the object of ensuring the continuance of that use.

(9C) Notwithstanding subsection (4), the Trust shall have power to give such advice and assistance as is described in subsection (9B).”.