The Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Registration of Shared Buildings) Regulations 2014

Sharing churches’ use of shared buildings registered for the marriage of same sex couples

8.—(1) This regulation applies to shared buildings registered under section 43A of the 1949 Act.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (5) below, a sharing church may only use a shared building for the solemnization of marriages of same sex couples if consent to marriages of same sex couples from the persons who are the relevant governing authority of that church accompanied the registration application for that building.

(3) If the process set out in paragraph (4) is completed, a sharing church who had not previously provided consent to marriages of same sex couples in respect of a shared building may also use that shared building for the solemnization of marriages of same sex couples.

(4) The process referred to in paragraph (3) is that—

(a) a sharing church may send written notice to the proprietor or trustee of the shared building that it wishes to solemnize marriages of same sex couples in that building;

(b) the sharing church’s written notice to the proprietor or trustee must be accompanied by the consent to marriages of same sex couples from the persons who are the relevant governing authority of that church;

(c) on receipt of the consent provided under sub-paragraph (b) the proprietor or trustee must send a copy of it to the relevant superintendent registrar, and the relevant superintendent registrar must send a copy of the consent to the Registrar General;

(d) the Registrar General must record, in relation to the registration of the building, the consent to marriages of same sex couples provided by the relevant governing authority of the sharing church and, having done so, notify the relevant superintendent registrar;

(e) on receipt of the notification from the Registrar General under sub-paragraph (d) the relevant superintendent registrar must notify the proprietor or trustee of this; and

(f) the proprietor or trustee must send a written notice to the relevant governing authority of the sharing church that its consent to marriage of same sex couples in the building has been recorded by the Registrar General.

(5) Paragraph (2) does not apply to the solemnization of—

(a) marriages of same sex couples according to the usages of the Society of Friends (commonly called Quakers); or

(b) marriages of same sex couples professing the Jewish religion according to the usages of the Jews.