The Building Management Portal (BMP) is the Church of England's new national digital platform for managing applications relating to church buildings, their contents and churchyards.
It will provide a clearer, more consistent and more transparent way of managing List A, List B and Faculty applications. The system brings together application management, supporting documents, workflow stages and decision-making processes within one national platform.
The Building Management Portal has been developed with funding from the Church Commissioners and builds on the experience of the Online Faculty System, which has supported church buildings casework since 2015.
The Building Management Portal is currently being introduced through a phased programme of preparation, testing and rollout. It will become available to users in most dioceses from 6 October 2026, following the closure of the Online Faculty System and the final migration of application data.
London and St Albans will move to the Building Management Portal through separate transition arrangements. Users in those dioceses should continue to follow information provided locally.
Dioceses will provide local information about access, registration, applications and support arrangements as implementation progresses.
Building Management Portal
The Building Management Portal will support the management of applications for works to church buildings, their contents and churchyards. It provides a single digital route for List A, List B and Faculty applications.
The system has been designed to make the application process easier to follow and to improve consistency in the way casework is managed. It will give users clearer information about application stages, supporting documents and the actions needed as an application progresses.
The legal framework for List A, List B and Faculty applications remains in place. The Building Management Portal provides a new digital system for managing these existing processes more effectively.
The system is intended to support both day-to-day application management and the wider stewardship of church buildings by improving how information is recorded, shared and used.
Why the System Is Changing
The Online Faculty System has made a significant contribution to the management of church buildings applications. Since its introduction, digital casework has helped reduce reliance on paper processes and has supported more efficient administration of Faculty and List B applications.
As digital expectations and technology have developed, there is now a need for a more modern and integrated system. The Building Management Portal has been developed to provide improved functionality, clearer user journeys, better management of documents and stronger support for different user roles.
The new platform also provides a foundation for future development, allowing church buildings casework and related information to be managed in a more consistent and connected way across the Church of England.
What the Building Management Portal Will Offer
A single route for applications
List A, List B and Faculty applications will be managed through one consistent national system. This will help make the process easier to understand for applicants and more consistent for those reviewing, advising on and deciding applications.
Clearer application stages
The system has been designed to give users improved visibility of application progress. Clearer workflow stages will help users understand where an application has reached and what further action may be needed.
Improved document management
The Building Management Portal will provide improved tools for uploading, organising and reviewing documents. This will support better case records and make it easier for users to work with the information submitted as part of an application.
Role-based access
Access to information and actions within the system will be based on the user's role. This will help ensure that applicants, diocesan teams, archdeacons, registrars, chancellors and consultees can see and carry out the tasks relevant to their responsibilities.
A single user will be able to hold more than one role where this reflects their responsibilities. Access will be assigned according to the user's role, diocese, organisation and, where appropriate, the churches with which they are associated.
Better case visibility
The system will provide clearer information about the status of applications and the steps involved in progressing them. This is intended to improve transparency for users and support more effective case management.
Modern and accessible design
The platform has been designed to provide a more modern and accessible user experience, with clearer navigation and a more structured approach to managing applications.
Connection with the Church Heritage Record
The Building Management Portal and the Church Heritage Record are separate but connected services. The Building Management Portal manages application processes, while the Church Heritage Record provides information about church buildings and their history.
Application records will link to the relevant church information in the Church Heritage Record where this is available.
Accessing the Building Management Portal
Users will access the Building Management Portal through the Church of England Portal. This provides a secure login route using two-factor authentication.
Users who do not already have a Church of England Portal account may need to create one before accessing the Building Management Portal.
New and existing users may also be asked to complete a one-time registration process. This will allow the appropriate role, diocese, organisation and church access to be assigned.
Registration for the Church of England Portal does not automatically provide access to every function within the Building Management Portal. The functions available to each user will depend on the roles and permissions assigned to their account.
Implementation and Rollout
The Building Management Portal is being introduced in phases. This approach allows learning from dioceses and users to inform implementation and helps ensure that guidance, support materials and future development are shaped by practical experience.
The first phase involved pilot use in Coventry, Durham, Portsmouth and Worcester. This allowed the system to be used with live casework and provided valuable feedback on application workflows, document handling, user support, onboarding and data migration.
The current transition timetable is:
- 29 September 2026: the Online Faculty System will close to allow the final data export to be completed.
- 2–5 October 2026: application and user data will be migrated to the Building Management Portal and checked.
- From 6 October 2026: the Building Management Portal will become available to users in most dioceses once the final migration and validation checks have been completed.
There will not be an operational overlap between the Online Faculty System and the Building Management Portal for dioceses moving on 6 October. During the migration period, users will not be able to progress applications through either system.
London and St Albans will move to the Building Management Portal through separate transition arrangements. Users in those dioceses should continue to use the arrangements communicated by their diocesan teams until their move has been confirmed.
Dioceses will remain the main point of contact for local communications with parishes and other users. They will provide further information about local access, support and implementation arrangements.
Existing Applications and Records
Existing and historic application records held in the Online Faculty System will be migrated to the Building Management Portal as part of the transition.
Diocesan teams have been reviewing application and user information before migration. Further checks will be undertaken during and after the final import to identify any data, access or workflow issues.
Users should not create duplicate applications in response to the change of system. Existing applications will retain their application information and supporting records when they are migrated.
Where an application requires action during the period between the closure of the Online Faculty System and the opening of the Building Management Portal, users should contact their diocesan team for advice.
What Users Can Expect
Users should expect the Building Management Portal to provide a more structured way of managing applications relating to church buildings, their contents and churchyards.
The system is intended to make it easier to see what information is required, where an application has reached, and what actions are needed at each stage. It will also provide improved handling of supporting documents and clearer records of application activity.
Applicants, parish users, diocesan teams and other role-based users will receive information relevant to their responsibilities as the system is introduced.
As with any major system transition, some information or access arrangements may require checking after migration. Users should report problems through the support arrangements provided by their diocese rather than creating duplicate registrations or applications.
Feedback from dioceses and users will continue to inform improvements to the system, guidance and support materials.
What Is Not Changing
The introduction of the Building Management Portal does not change the legal framework for List A, List B or Faculty applications.
The relevant permissions, responsibilities and decision-making roles remain in place. The Building Management Portal provides a new digital way of managing those processes, with improved tools for users and clearer information about each stage of an application.
Diocesan Advisory Committees, archdeacons, registrars, chancellors and statutory consultees will continue to carry out their respective functions within the faculty jurisdiction.
Training and Guidance
Training videos, written guidance, frequently asked questions and onboarding materials are being provided to support users as the Building Management Portal is introduced.
These materials will help users understand how to register, navigate the system, manage applications, upload documents and follow the relevant stages of the process.
Guidance will continue to be reviewed and updated as feedback is received from dioceses, parish users and other people involved in church buildings casework.
Users should follow the training and support information supplied by their diocese. Diocesan teams are best placed to explain local arrangements and provide the first point of contact for most access or application queries.
Further Information
Further information will be shared through diocesan communications as implementation progresses.
Users with questions about local arrangements, registration, access or an existing application should contact their diocesan team or DAC Secretary in the first instance.