Street naming and numbering

About street naming and numbering

The London Borough of Barnet is the Street Naming and Numbering Authority responsible for the naming and numbering of new and existing streets and buildings and is the only organisation that can create or change addresses within its boundaries.

Under the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act, 1939, the Local Authority has the legal responsibility to ensure that streets are named and buildings are numbered and has the powers to approve or reject building and street address suggestions submitted by developers.

Our Street Naming and Numbering service will:

• assign street names and street numbers to new and existing streets, houses and buildings
• carry out renaming and renumbering of streets, houses and buildings
• liaise with the London Emergency Services and Royal Mail to ensure that any proposed names or street numbers do not cause confusion to these services in carrying out their duties

Street Naming and Numbering is an important function that allows the Local Authority to maintain a comprehensive and accurate address database covering all properties within the borough.  In turn this enables:

• emergency Services to find a property quickly and efficiently
• post to be delivered efficiently
• visitors to locate their destination
• records of service providers to be kept in an efficient manner
• all of the Local Authority’s departments to work from one official address base
• reliable delivery of services and goods by courier companies
• companies to accept an address for official purposes.  For example, insurance, credit rating, contract acceptance

Street naming applications within built-up areas may be subject to full public consultation. Where a new road name is being sought, we will issue a full public consultation, which will allow for a period of 28 days for local residents to voice opinions or raise objections about the proposed name(s).

Retrospective numbering undertaken when a developer has failed to apply for Street Naming and Numbering but requires addresses for an existing building will be subject to charge.

The Local Authority defines all elements of an address, except the postcode and post town.  The numbers and names assigned to buildings and the official names assigned to streets are the Intellectual Property of the authority.

It should be noted that the Street Naming and Numbering process can be lengthy. Therefore, it is advisable to submit an application as early as possible in the proposal stage, preferably before works commence and ideally before an unofficial name has been marketed or legal documents drafted.

How to apply

Anyone seeking an address change or the creation of an address for a new street and/or building should apply to the Local Authority, preferably electronically.  The following information should accompany the application form and must be provided in either electronic format or hard copy:

• site location plan, showing site location in relation to any existing streets
• site layout plan(s), showing unique plot numbers and placement of front door or primary access of each plot
• the appropriate fee
• where new streets are to be addressed, geo-reference CAD drawings
• accommodation schedule for large developments
• where applicable, internal layout plans for developments which are subdivided at floor level, showing unique plot numbers and placement of front door or primary access of each plot

It is recommended that more than one suggestion is put forward for proposals for street names and/or building names in case the primary suggestion fails to comply with naming conventions. It is advised that at least three names are suggested, in order of preference, for each proposed new street/building.

On receipt of an application, you will receive an acknowledgment and an estimated length of time required for the Street Naming and Numbering process to be completed. The time taken for an application is dependent on a number of factors, such as the complexity of the site and the potential need to carry out a consultation. Major development/redevelopment sites, depending on size, generally take longer as the process is often dependent on new street names being approved. The process is lengthened further if there are any objections to any part of the proposal. Straightforward changes of addresses or request for new addresses can usually be processed in 5 to 6 weeks.

A decision notice will be issued with the new Official Address(es). The Local Authority’s decision is final for the naming or re-naming of streets, naming or renaming buildings or the numbering or re-numbering of buildings and is at the discretion of the Head of Development Management.

Fees

Your responsibilities

Applications should be submitted at least three months before a property is occupied.  This allows time for the new address details to be sent to relevant organisations.

On receipt of a decision notice, you should activate the new addresses with Royal Mail so they can update their records.  There is an activation paragraph within the decision notice.

All street names and numbers are required to be displayed in an appropriate manner to ensure that buildings are clearly identified for the convenience of the public and in order that the Emergency Services may attend and react efficiently when called to an incident.  The relevant street number, building name, or the combination of street number and building name should be clearly displayed and visible from the highway.  This may mean street numbers being displayed on posts, gates or fences (and not necessarily the door of the building) to aid easy identification of the building, particularly in the event of an emergency.

New street names must use official street nameplates. To arrange this please contact our highways section on 020 8359 3555.

The limit of our responsibilities

The Local Authority is not responsible for the following:

• The postcode. Only Royal Mail can allocate postcodes. Postcodes are only allocated to buildings that are either a residential dwelling or a bone fide business address. All buildings that are registered for business use need to be occupied during business hours and must have a mail delivery point that is secure and easily accessible for the delivery of mail.

• Any complaints regarding correspondence and deliveries not being delivered to the correct address. These complaints should be directed to the relevant delivery company’s customer service department.

• Addresses being unavailable on databases used by third parties, such as retail outlets (including Internet based ones); Satellite Navigation Systems, Street Maps, etc.

• Ordnance Survey maps or plans not featuring any buildings or streets.

• Billing Authority Reports (BAR) are not produced by the Street Naming and Numbering department. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is an executive agency that is sponsored by HM Revenues and Customs, which valuate properties and advise to support taxations and benefits. The VAO is not part of the Local Authority. Requests for a BAR should be issued by the Valuation Team within The London Borough of Barnet.

• Council Tax records. It should be noted that addresses held on the Council Tax system are not necessarily the Official Address and only the Street Naming and Numbering department can advise on the Official Address.

• The Street Naming and Numbering department is not responsible for the erection or replacement of road nameplates, please contact Highways customer service on either 020 8359 3555 or email highwayscorrespondence@barnet.gov.uk

If your address can't be found in our forms or My Account

If your address cannot be found correctly by our address finder feature in My Account or our online forms, please let us know including your full address details and we can investigate for you. This process is usually for newly built and registered properties.