How do I apply for a building to be registered as a place of worship ?
You do not have to apply for a building to be certified by the Registrar General in order for it to be used as a place of worship. If the congregation decide they do wish to apply for the certification you will need two forms 76 which can either be obtained from the Superintendent Registrar or downloaded here.
Form 76 (621 KB)
The forms can be completed and signed by any person who is authorised to represent the congregation e.g. the Minister, a Church Trustee.
The completed forms should be sent to the Superintendent Registrar with:
- A floor plan of the whole of the building. The plan does not have to be drawn up professionally or to scale but it must show all rooms, staircases and doorways.
- A timetable for an average week of all activities taking place in the building. this must include any activities/meetings/events not run by the church congregation. The reason you are asked to provide this information is to help satisfy the Registrar Generla the building is mainly used for religious worship.
The fee £28 (as at Jan 2006)
How do I apply for a building to be registered for religious marriages ?
Before a building can be registered for the solemnisation of religious marriages it must be already certified as a place of religious worship. (If the building is not already certified, the two applications can be made at the same time).
You will need two forms 76 which can either be obtained from the Superintendent Registrar or downloaded here.
Form 76 (621 KB)
The forms must be signed by at least 20 separate householders who can state that they attend the building as their usual place of worship. The forms must also be countersigned by a trustee or proprietor of the actual building before they are returned to the Superintendent Registrar with the fee.
The fee is £120 (as at Jan 2006)
How do I apply for a building to be registered for civil marriages ?
A civil marriage or civil partnership registration can take place at any register office or other building approved by the local authority as a suitable venue (an Approved Premise). The owners or proprietors or their representative must make a formal application to the local authority's licensing department. A licence is normally granted for a period of 3 years at a time.
An Approved Premise must be a permanent structure and meet the standards set out by the local authority in relation to suitability, health and safety etc. An inspection by the local authority and other agencies forms part of the approval process.
Contact the Licensing Section for an application pack.
Telephone: (01709) 823153
Email: tradingstandards@rotherham.gov.uk
The fee for the registration of a building as an approved premise is £1219.00 (as at Jan 2006)
For further details please contact:
Licensing Section
Howard Building
College Lane
Rotherham
S65 1AX
Click here for further information on Civil Marriages including approved premises.
What do I need to do if anything changes ?
Religious Buildings
- If you stop using a building certified for religious worship, you have a legal obligation to let the Registrar General know. You should do this by using Form 77 (325 kb)
- If the building is demolished but re-built on the same foundations then providing the new building is finished within a year of the demolition and is used by the same congregation, the certification will not be affected.
- If the building is demolished and re-built on new foundations, or you stop using the original building and start using another then you must complete a Form 77 (325 kb) for the original building and apply for the new building to be certified (and licensed for marriages) by using Form 76 (621 KB) and Form 78 (631kb)
- If there have been structural alterations to the building, you should send a floor plan of the whole of the building to Marriages Section, at the General Register Office. The plan must show clearly the new layout of the building and describe what the various areas are now used for.
- If you want to change any of the recorded details of the building e.g. its recorded name or address, you should put in writing what the change is and why you want to make it. The statement/letter should be signed by two trustees of the building and sent to Marriages Section at the General Register Office.
- If you need a further copy of the certification, you should contact Marriages Section at the General Register Office.
Approved Premises
THE MARRIAGE ACT 1994, THE MARRIAGES (APPROVED PREMISES) REGULATIONS, 1995
The non-returnable fee for this application is £1,219.00, and must be submitted with the application to the Head of Environmental Health, Rotherham Borough Council, Licensing, Howard Building, College Lane, Rotherham, S65 1AX. Cheques should be made payable to Rotherham Borough Council.
The application must be made by the proprietor(s) or trustee(s) of the premises. When made on behalf of a limited company there should be a separate statement of the names and addresses of all the directors.
The premises must fulfill the following standard requirements in Schedule 1 of the Regulations:-
- Having regard to their primary use, situation, construction and state of repair, the premises must, in the opinion of the Authority, be a seemly and dignified venue for the solemnisation of marriages.
- The premises must be regularly available to the public for use for the solemnisation of marriages.
- The premises must have the benefit of such fire precautions as may reasonably be required by the Authority, having consulted with the fire authority, and such other reasonable provision for the health and safety of persons employed in or visiting as the Authority consider appropriate.
- The premises must have no recent or continuing connection with any religion, religious practice or religious persuasion which would be incompatible with the use of the premises for the solemnisation of marriages in pursuance of Section 26(1)(bb) of the Act.
- The room or rooms in which ceremonies of marriage will be solemnised if approval is granted must be identifiable by description as a distinct part of the premises.
What other additional information do I need to know ?
Renewal
The holder may apply for the renewal of an approval when the current approval has between six and twelve months to run. An application for renewal made in this period will extend the current approval until the application has been finally dealt with. A renewal will run from the expiry date of the current approval.
Revocation
The Council may revoke an approval if it is satisfied, after considering any representations from the holder, that the use or structure of the premises has changed so that any of the standard or local requirements cannot be met or the holder has failed to comply with one or more of the standard or local conditions attached to the approval.
The Registrar General may direct the Council to revoke an approval if, in his opinion and after considering any representations from the holder, there have been breaches of the law relating to marriage on the approved terms.
When an approval has been revoked the Regulations require the former holder to notify any couples who had arranged to marry on the premises.
Reviews
An applicant may seek a review by the Council of its decision to refuse to grant an approval, to attach local conditions, to refuse to renew an approval or to revoke an approval.
The review must be carried out by a different officer, committee or sub-committee than that which made the decision which is being appealed against. The review panel may confirm the decision, rescind it or vary it with the imposition of fresh or further conditions.
The Council may charge an additional fee for a review of its decision to refuse to grant an approval, to attach local conditions or to refuse to renew an approval.
A direction by the Registrar General to revoke an approval is not subject to a review by the Council.
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