Street Naming and Numbering Advice Policy

The naming and numbering of streets and buildings within Stroud District is a Statutory Function of Stroud District Council (hereafter known as “the Council”), and is covered by Sections 17, 18 and 19 of the Public Health Acts 1925 as applied by the Local Government Act 1972.

The appropriate naming of streets and naming and numbering of buildings forms the basis for identifying property related information which is used by:

Royal Mail and other services for delivery of post and goods
The ambulance, police and fire services for responses to emergencies
Statutory organisations e.g. the Council, Land Registry and Inland Revenue

The purpose of this page is to provide consistency in the approach to this subject. It also provides advice to building developers and occupiers on the naming and numbering policy of the Council.

British Standard BS7666 - Address Data Entry Conventions

In addition to the traditional method of addressing a property the Government has introduced a British Standard (BS7666) for the precise identification of a property or plot of land. Each property has been allocated a 12 digit Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). This permits additional information such as co-ordinates to be accessed allowing the property to be located on a map.

Stroud along with all the other local or unitary authorities has created and maintains a Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) to the above standard. Updates to this information are submitted daily to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) which is marketed commercially. This precise location information can then be used by Royal Mail, the Emergency Services and Utility Companies.

As part of the process the location and naming of new streets is an essential starting point. Whilst this is strictly a District Council function any new streets are notified to Gloucestershire County Council who hold the Local Street Gazetteer (LSG), which is essential for their highway management responsibilities, and they in turn use it to update the National Street Gazetteer (NSG).

It should be noted that the LLPG provides geographic location information for all properties in the district and whilst most addresses are the same as those held by the Royal Mail for postal delivery services there will be some incidences of variation in address format between that held by Royal Mail and within the Council’s LLPG.

Applying For A New Postal Address

Applications should be made by:

Individuals or developers building new dwellings, commercial or industrial premises
Individuals or developers undertaking conversions of existing residential, commercial or industrial premises which will result in the creation of new separately addressed units

Developers who use a marketing name for a site must make it clear, to any prospective purchasers, that it is not part of an official postal address.

Applications for new addresses should be submitted as soon as work commences. In the case of new street names this is essential as the time from receiving a proposed name until it is formally adopted can take several months.

On developments requiring new street names the developer may put forward a naming proposal or the Council will request that the relevant Parish or Town Council provide a suitable name. If the developer has suggested a street name the Parish or Town Council can either accept the proposed name or suggest an alternative. The Council does not consult where the application is solely for the numbering or naming of a single building.

Street Naming Protocols and Conventions

When a new development is built, the responsibility for naming the new streets rests with the Council. The new names should be consistent with the Council's protocols for road naming, namely:

When possible, the name(s) should have a proven historical connection to the land intended for development.
The name(s) will not be the name(s) of people unless there is a historical connection to the town or parish within which the development falls.
The name(s) will not be the same or similar to any existing name(s) in the area.
If the development contains a new network of streets a theme may be chosen, taking care not to repeat a theme already being used locally.
Aesthetically unsuitable names or names capable of deliberate misinterpretation are to be avoided.
Street names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell.

New street names should end with one of the following suffixes

Pedestrian only access thoroughfares should end with: Walk | Path | Way

Please note

No street name should start with "The"
"Court" is not acceptable as a street name suffix but may be used for large multi-occupied buildings.
"Terrace" should only be used as a subsidiary name within another road.

On receipt of a proposed new street or building name, the Council's Street Naming and Numbering Officer will check that it will not duplicate existing names, and is in accordance with the naming protocols and conventions, shown above.

Street Nameplates

Under the Public Health Act 1925 there is a duty to erect and maintain street nameplates for all officially named thoroughfares.

The responsibility for the initial provision of street nameplates within a new development, where a street name is required, is devolved to the developer.

All new nameplates should be provided to the Council's specification as shown by the link below:

PDF Street Nameplate Specification (PDF 22KB) - 06/04/2009

Additional Street Nameplates

Requests for new or additional nameplates should in the first instance be made to the local Parish or Town Council for their approval. If a new plate is required they will make the request to the District Council.

Administrative Procedure

The council is reactive in response to reports of damaged or missing SNP.
We aim to inspect and assess the situation within 5 working days.
Generally replacement SNP are ordered in batches.
From initial report installation time can be up to eight weeks.
In exceptional circumstances where the damaged SNP is a potential danger to the public, more immediate action can be taken.
Except in the case above, where the SNP poses a potential danger, there are no specific criteria used to prioritise the need for action.

Building Numbers

When naming/numbering new buildings the following conventions will be followed:

A new street should be numbered with the odd numbers on the left and the even numbers on the right from the entrance of the street, except in the case of a cul-de-sac, where consecutive numbering in a clockwise direction is preferred.
All numbers should be used in the proper sequence (including 13). However, should a request be made for the exclusion of 13 this may be allowed, after consultation.
Where an existing street is extended, it would be appropriate to continue to use the same street name. This would include the continuation of the street numbering.
Buildings will be numbered according to the street in which the main entrance is to be found. If a building has entrances on more than one street, is a multi-occupied building and each entrance leads to a separate occupier, then each entrance should be numbered in the appropriate road.
Where a building with an already approved house number or name is subdivided then the use of letters or numbers to indicate the separate apartments is acceptable.
Infill properties will be numbered into the existing street using an alphabet suffix unless there are exceptional circumstances.

House Names

The allocation of a house name will always be permitted. However, where a numbering scheme is in place a house name can only be in addition to the allocated property number and not a replacement. Please note that the original number should always be displayed on the property and quoted within an address on all correspondence.

If you are intending to name or rename your property, it is advisable that you contact the Council to check whether your preferred name is already in use in the immediate area. If there is the possibility of confusion or the name chosen is deemed to be inappropriate you will be requested to select another name. We will not accept house names that are the words for numbers eg. Nine.

If this process is not undertaken the official address of the property will not be revised. Royal Mail will only amend their Postal Address File from information provided by the Council.

All requests should be made in writing. Please complete the online house name change form or alternatively download and return the PDF below.

PDF House Name Change Form (PDF 547KB) - 06/04/2008

Post Codes

The Council is responsible for establishing property addresses up to and including the town or village name. The allocation of postcodes is the responsibility of Royal Mail. In creating and establishing new addresses the Council will liaise with Royal Mail’s Address Development Team to provide a suitable postcode.

When a new address has been created, including the postcode, it will be held by Royal Mail as official but may not show up in their Postal Address File until they have established that the property is, or is about to be, occupied.

Distribution of All New and Changed Addresses

Once an address has been created or amended we distribute this information to a variety of organisations. These include:

Internally: Council Tax, Elections, Refuse and Recycling
Externally: Royal Mail, Land Registry, Gloucestershire County Council, The Emergency Services, Utility Companies, Mapping Companies.

Further Information

For a quick reference guide regarding the street naming process, please see below

PDF Street Naming Process Diagram (PDF 19KB) - 16/06/2008

Address Problems

The street naming and numbering function deals with all address related queries within the district. If you are having a problem please contact us by one of the means below:

E-mail:1625LLPG@stroud.gov.uk

Telephone: 01453 754112

Write to:
Street Naming and Numbering
Stroud District Council
Ebley Mill
Westward Road
Stroud
GL5 4UB