DIOCESE OF SALISBURY Ben 363A Pastoral Secretary To: Please see circulation list overleaf 1st August 2006 PASTORAL MEASURE 1983: BENEFICE OF DEVIZES ST JOHN AND ST MARY The interested parties were consulted on 20 April about proposals to make the church of St Mary, Devizes, redundant. Whilst two individual representations were received the enclosed proposals were supported by the great majority of those responding and have been approved by the Bishop and forwarded to the Church Commissioners. A copy of Mr Evans representation to the effect that there is a separate parish of St Mary has been forwarded to the Commissioners, as the Diocesan records of parish boundaries accord with the Commissioners' view that the benefice is a single parish. If the Commissioners prepare a draft scheme or order to give effect to the proposals, an opportunity will be given for the interested parties and others to make representations for or against the draft. If the Commissioners (with the agreement of the Bishop and the Diocesan Pastoral Committee) should amend a draft scheme or order that they have published, the amended draft scheme or order will be circulated as before and the interested parties and others given an opportunity to make representations for or against the revised draft. The Commissioners must consider any representations made to them before they decide whether the scheme or order should proceed, but they can only consider representations after they have published a draft scheme or order based on the proposals. If you wish to have any further information regarding the effect of these proposals or about points of procedure, I shall be pleased to do what I can to help. Should you have any enquiries, however, about procedure so far as it concerns the Commissioners, you should address these to the Pastoral Division, Church Commissioners, 1 Millbank, London, SW1P 3JZ. Yours sincerely Mrs Christine Romano Tel: 01722 411922 e-mail: [email protected] Diocesan Office, Church House, Crane Street, Salisbury SP1 2QB Fax: 01722 411990 The Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance is a company limited by guarantee (No. 17442) and is registered as a charity (No. 240833) Circulation list: The Lord Chancellor The Bishop The Archdeacon of Wilts Mr W Owen Hon Secretary Devizes St Mary PCC Mrs S Amor Hon Secretary Devizes St John PCC The Revd Canon J Record Priest-in-Charge and Rural Dean Mr R Tickell Lay co-chair Devizes Deanery Kennet District Council Copy to: Town Clerk Devizes Town Council The Revd J Ball. Copies [proposals only] to: The Diocesan Registrar, the Church Commissioners, the Diocesan Secretary, The Property Secretary. DIOCESE OF SALISBURY PASTORAL MEASURE 1983 These draft proposals provide for: • The church of St Mary, Devizes, to be declared redundant. Declaration of redundancy 1. The parish church of St Mary, in the parish of Devizes St John and St Mary shall be declared redundant. [See notes below] Coming into effect of these proposals 2. These proposals shall take effect upon the first day of the month following the date of any Order made by the Church Commissioners confirming the pastoral scheme prepared in pursuance of these proposals. Signed Notes: 1. These proposals, if implemented by a Pastoral Scheme, would have the effect of closing the church of St Mary for public worship and vesting it in the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance for care and maintenance pending a decision on its future. Any such decision would be the subject of a second scheme, called a Redundancy Scheme, which would be prepared and published by the Church Commissioners, and with regard to which an opportunity would be given for representations to be made. 2. It is understood that although the benefice of St John and St Mary has operated two parishes, each with its own Parochial Church Council, for many years. The legal position, as evidenced by an Order in Council of 1867, is that St Mary is a chapelry [ie additional parish church] within the united parish of St John and St Mary. The proposals therefore do not make provision for a union of parishes as this will not be required. If the proposals are implemented by a Pastoral Scheme the two present "informal" parishes and their PCCs will be united. Ben 363A .