Street naming and numbering
Last Updated: 17 December 2024
The Council has a statutory duty to provide every property in our area with an individual, authoritative address. This includes the naming of roads and the allocation of house numbers, or if a number is not feasible then a name for each property. This function is carried out under the provisions of the Public Health Act 1925 sections 17 to 19.
We also maintain the National Land and Property Gazetteer for South Lakeland which is the definitive list of all street names and property addresses and gives each property a unique and officially recognised identifier.
The allocation of an officially registered address is very important in order to be able to locate a property. Please do not allocate your own house number or name.
Postal addresses cannot be allocated to certain properties such as agricultural barns, boathouses and holiday lodges.
Guidance on street and property naming is provided in our Street Naming and Numbering Addressing Guidance and Policy (PDF / 870KB / 31 pages)
This address information is used by organisations including:
- emergency services
- utility service connections
- Royal Mail and various delivery companies eg Sat Nav systems
- local councils: council tax, refuse collection, electoral services and highways
- insurance companies, banks, DVLA etc
- Office for National Statistics
- Estate agents and Land Registry when a property is sold
Use 'find my address' to check that your address is registered on the National Address Gazetteer (NAG). If it is not shown there please email our street naming and numbering team and we can look into this. Our contact details are listed below.
How we deal with your application
It’s important to start early as the process is complex and involves many other parties and organisations. Utility services will not install services without notice from the Council of an official address and the relevant Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). This is the procedure we follow:
- once a valid application is submitted, we perform multiple geospatial queries
- check the application meets the standards set out in the Street Naming and Numbering Addressing Guidance and Policy, and that it complies with National Standards BS7666
- liaise with the applicant regarding feasibility of name choice and payment of relevant fee
- once the street / property name is agreed, Royal Mail are contacted to allocate the post town and postcode
- agree with the applicant the siting of any street name places
- notify all interested parties, eg emergency services
Geoplace collate and validate this information from all local governments, and with the help of Ordnance Survey it is available to view at 'find my address'.
How to apply
Please refer to the Street Naming and Numbering Addressing Guidance and Policy. This is intended to help the public, Parish Councils and property developers address properties. We will use the document to determine an appropriate street name and property number or name, one that will not have the potential to cause ambiguity, misunderstanding or confusion.
Before you start the form below you will need:
- location plan clearly showing where the property is in relation to surrounding roads and buildings, and marking where the main doorway entrance is
- any relevant Planning Application reference number
- two unique name suggestions if the property requires a name. As new street and property names need to be unique within the locality (generally defined as within a 3 mile radius, or within the postcode area of the site), you may find it useful to check out the suitability of new names at 'find my address' by entering your suggested property name followed by the first part of the postcode (eg LA11) into the search bar
Street Naming and Numbering Addressing Guidance, Policy (PDF / 870KB / 31 pages)
Street naming and property numbering application form (PDF 574KB / 2 page)
Fees
Once an application is submitted we will send you a confirmation email with a reference number and payment details. We will not be able to accept payments without a reference number.
| New developments | Fee (inc. VAT) |
|---|---|
| New individual property name/number | No charge |
| New street name/number | No charge |
| Alterations in either street name, property numbers or plot to postal numbers to new developments, after the initial street naming and numbering has been undertaken and confirmed to the developer | £177.00 plus £24.00 per property |
| Existing properties | Fee (inc. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Confirmation of postal address | £39.00 |
| Change of house name | £99.00 |
| Change of building name (e.g. block of flats) | £99.00 + £20.00 per property |
| Change of street name (including at request of resident) | £308.00 + £58.00 per property |
| Street numbering (at request of residents - where no numbering system is already in existence) | £308.00 + £58.00 per property |
| Sub-division of existing property into multiple properties or merge of existing properties into single property | £99.00 + £20.00 per property |
| Removal of address following the demolition of property where no replacement building is to be built (per property - in addition to the application fee) | £64.00 + £24.00 |
| Removal of address following demolition of property where a replacement building is to be built on the land but not on the same footprint (where a property is demolished and re-built on the same footprint, the existing name/number will be retained). (Application fee only) | £64.00 + £24.00 per property |
