- 46 -
On the brighter side however, new churches being constructed
are commonly fitted with a movable partition which not only gives
flexibility to the area available for services, but also enables the
area beyond the partition to be used for ancillary functions.
The problem is thus not going unrecognised, rather we must con-
clude that failure to achieve optimum usage of churches is probably due
more to behavioural than rational reasons, and that one incidental
benefit which might be obtained from a suitably designed allocation
system would be that of encouraging parishes to move in directions
considered desirable by the Diocese.
2.6.4
Disposal of redundant churches
If the routine management of church affairs is legally complex,
that of disposing of redundant buildings is even more so. A brief
story cited by Professor French
(P3)
will give us an idea of the problems
involved.
"The church and vicarage of St. John's, Chelsea, occupied
a triangular site, the vicarage being at the apex and the
church at the base. The ground on which the church stood
was consecrated; that on which the vicarage was built was
not. During the second World War the Germans bombed the
site and destroyed both buildings. Henceforward the work
of the parish was conducted from other premises. Eventu-
ally an agreement was made to lease the site of the vicar-
age to a garage company for a petrol filling station. The
company wished to use the consecrated church site for
access to the petrol station and as a car park. It was
prepared to pay a substantial rent for such use. It peti-
tioned the ecclesiastical court (the London Consistory
Court) for the necessary faculty. Despite the fact that
it was somewhat doubtful if the church would ever be re-
built on that site, as population movements had made it
rather inconvenient, the deputy chancellor refused to
grant a faculty. The proposed user was not for an eccle-
siastical purpose. As the original intention for which
the ground had been consecrated could still be achieved,
there was no power in the court to grant a faculty for
secular use. ... Had the proposed user ... been allowed,
the church would have benefited from the rent, the local
community would have obtained a petrol filling station,
and the garage company might have made a profit."
