FI15990

Request

  1. When were the current rules for naming of roads introduced?
  2. When were the rules/criteria for naming roads last reviewed?
  3. Are Government guidance/rules issued to govern the naming of roads or is this a matter for the Council deciding its own policy?
  4. New names have to be ‘validated’ by the Council so what is the criteria for doing this eg the name is not in use anywhere else in the District for example?
  5. If an existing road is in two sections divided by a junction in the middle and one half has residents the other half has no residents and the proposal was to change the name only for the half with no residents what would the position be?

Response

1. 1925 (Section 17-19 of the Public Health Act 1925).

2. 31 January 2024.  Section 81 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 superseded Section 18 of the Public Health Act 1925 (for renaming a street).

3. The Council follows the above legislation, the GeoPlace Street Naming and Numbering Code of Practice and the Council's Street Name and Numbering Guidelines.

4. As follows:

  • Similar or duplicate street names will not be repeated for new developments within the same parish or postal area. A variation in the terminal word, for example "Road", "Street" or "Close", will not be accepted as sufficient reason to duplicate a name.
  • Street names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell.
  • Names that are inappropriate or offensive will not be used, nor are names that could encourage the defacing of nameplates.
  • Street names which include numbers can cause confusion, for example 20 Seven Foot Lane sounds the same as 27 Foot Lane, and should therefore be avoided.
  • The use of the prefix 'The' or 'A' will no longer be allowed as these cause issues for the emergency services.
  • Proposed names should not promote an active organisation, such as the developer's company name.
  • The consent of the Lord Chamberlain's Office must be obtained for the use of a name with Royal connotations.
  • The use of a name which relates to that of a living person will not be adopted and that of a deceased person should be avoided.
  • Any proposed name should be given an appropriate suffix which is descriptive of the street, such as Court or Close to indicate a cul-de-sac.

5. Every request to rename a street is considered on the evidence provided and the implications to residents and transport. For this example, even though one side of the street may not be occupied, such a change would still impact the residents of the street, and they would need to be consulted with. Additionally, renaming one side of a street, even if that street has a central divide/reservation, could still cause confusion and difficulties for the unaltered addresses, or possible delays for the emergency services finding the correct location.