Guidance Notes for postal addresses and street names

Address management

The address of a property is becoming a very important issue. More organisations, postal and emergency services and the general public need an efficient means of locating and referencing properties.

It is the council’s statutory responsibility to allocate house numbers and road names to new residential/commercial developments and property conversions. Individuals and developers should not allocate their own house numbers, building or street names.

The council also contacts the Royal Mail to obtain postcodes for new street names.

Requests for new postal addresses

Who should apply ?

• Individuals or developers building new houses, commercial or industrial premises.
• Individuals or developers undertaking conversions of residential, commercial or industrial premises which will result in the creation of new properties or premises.

When?

You should apply for a postal address in the early stages of any new build or conversion, because utility companies are reluctant to install services where an official address has not been allocated.

How?

The form can be submitted electronically with this MS Word file. (MS Word file, opens in new window). Email to streetnaming@westwiltshire.gov.uk

Another version of this form can be printed and posted. (pdf file, opens in new window):

Commercial and Property Services,
West Wiltshire District Council,
Bradley Road,
TROWBRIDGE,
BA14 0RD.
Telephone 01225 776655 Extension 183

You also need to submit (in electronic format if possible)

• layout plan showing the extent of the layout of the development
• The main access to the properties
• Location plan

Requests for new street names

West Wiltshire District Council is happy for developers or landowners to propose their own preferred names for consideration. However it is recommended that more than one name is put forward just in case one fails to meet the following criteria.

All naming proposals must meet with the approval of the Royal Mail as to their suitability for delivery purposes

• It is desirable that the name should reflect the history or geography of the locality
• Avoid duplication of any similar name in that postcode area
• Names should not be difficult to spell or pronounce
• No unofficial marketing titles or company names used by developers or their agents
• Phonetically sounding names
• The name is not offensive

If the proposals meet with our criteria and do not meet with an objection from the town/parish council, the new address will be formally allocated and sent to the National Land and Property Gazetteer for allocation of postcodes and will appear on their website.

Any objections should be submitted with supporting reasons. If the objections cannot be overcome by negotiation the parish/town council will be asked to provide six alternative names approved by the Royal Mail within a timescale of eight weeks, the developer will then make his choice from this list.

Where a developer does not wish to name his development the appropriate town or parish council will be approached for their suggestions.

Houses with names (no postal number allocated)

If your property has a name and not a postal number and you wish to change the name of the property, you will need to contact the Property and Commercial Services Department to enable records to be checked for duplication and updated and the notifications process put in place. Usual charges apply for this service.

Houses with postal numbers and a name

If you have a postal number for your property and wish to give it a name as well you will need to contact the Property and Commercial Services Department and ask for the name to be added to our records.

The name can be displayed on your property and used in the postal address, but the number and road name will always constitute the first line of the address, and cannot replace the postal number.

Allocation of new postal addresses and new streets

Once a new postal address has been allocated we will inform all relevant and statutory bodies, emergency services, Ordnance Survey etc via the National Land and Property Gazetteer Hub. We also contact Royal Mail who are responsible for allocating postcodes, Royal Mail will not allocate a postcode unless they have received formal notification from us of a new address or street name.

All new addresses are allocated in line with British Standard 7666