The Church of England is introducing the Building Management Portal (BMP), a new national digital system for managing applications relating to works on churches, their contents, and churchyards. The new portal will replace the Online Faculty System (OFS).
The BMP is set to launch nationally on 6 October 2026. The OFS will be shut down on 30 September.
Existing applications will be moved from the OFS to the BMP automatically.
The BMP will provide a more structured and guided way to manage the List A, List B and faculty application processes. The new portal has been designed to be more user-friendly and easier to follow. The legal framework itself (faculty rules) has not changed.
This page will be updated with information about the launch, where to make applications during the transition, when and how to register for the BMP, and what support and training will be available.
Transition from the OFS to the BMP
The following timeline details the key dates during the migration from the Online Faculty System to the Building Management Portal. As we migrate to the new online platform, it will be important to note whether you should work on the OFS or the BMP, as follows:
- Present–29 September: The OFS will remain open and should be used to access and work on your existing applications and any new applications you are ready to submit
- 30 September: The OFS will be shut down nationally to enable the migration of data to the BMP
- 30 September–5 October: Period during which both the OFS and the BMP will be unavailable for use. You will not be able to start any new applications or access existing applications during this time
Please note, throughout this period you will still be able to seek emergency permission for very urgent works under the existing interim faculty (emergency works) procedure - 6 October: The new BMP will be available to use
When and how to sign up for the BMP
We need people to sign up for the BMP gradually after 6 October, rather than all at once.
Please only register for the BMP once you need to start an application for your church, or when you next need to access or edit an active application which is in progress.
When you are ready to register:
Access to the BMP is through the CofE Portal (which you might already use for things like Parish Returns and Parish Buying). The CofE Portal provides a secure login route and includes two-factor authentication (account protection).
- If you already have a CofE Portal account, click the 'Log in with CofE Portal' button on the Building Management Portal
- If you do not yet have a CofE Portal account, you will need to create one before you can use the BMP. You can do this by clicking the 'Sign up via CofE Portal' button on the Building Management Portal
There is a video with step-by-step instructions on the registration process, available in the 'Support and training' section below.
Please also be aware that even if you register in advance, the DAC Officers will only be able to see and begin approving your registration requests after we gain access to the BMP at its launch on 6 October, at the same time as parish users.
Support and training
The new launch will be accompanied by training videos that will show you step-by-step instructions on how to register for the BMP and complete applications online. We recommend that you watch the 'Introduction' and 'Registration' videos (below) in advance, and access the others if you need them when you start working on an application.
The videos are available via the following links:
Introduction:
- Building Management Portal (3-minute video)
Registration:
Applications:
- List A works
- List B works
- Starting a faculty application
- Standard Information form
- Petition part 1
- Statements of Significance and Needs
- Formal consultation
We are also planning to deliver some live online training and drop-in sessions following the launch. We will advertise availability for these in the coming months via the diocesan bulletin and on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Further national information and FAQs are available now on the Church of England website.
Contacting the DAC Officers
The DAC Officers are Giles Standing (DAC Secretary) and Felicity McWilliams (DAC Casework Officer). Our contact details can be found in the diocesan staff directory.
Please note that we are likely to be very busy during the run-up to and launch of the new system and it may take us longer than usual to respond to enquiries. Thank you in advance for your patience and support.
One way you can help is by consulting the training videos and FAQs before getting in touch, to see if an answer to your question is already available. There may also be technical people within your parish who can offer you general IT support with registration and accessing the new system.