Guidelines for street and building naming and numbering

Street Names and Numbers

• Naming of buildings and streets
• Numbering of buildings
• Renaming or renumbering of buildings and streets

Naming of buildings and streets

1. New street names should not duplicate a name already in use in the borough or neighbouring boroughs. Variations to the terminal word (street, road, avenue etc.) will not be accepted as a different name.

2. New street names should be of local significance and unsuitable names should be avoided.

3. Street names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell. In general, words of more than three syllables should be avoided and this includes the use of two words except in special cases.

4. Subsidiary names should only be used in roads of short length, for instance a row of buildings on a road already called a 'Terrace'.

5. All new street names should end with one of the following suffixes:

Non acceptable suffixes:

• End
• Court
• Cross
• Side
• View
• Walk
• Park
• Meadow

All of these words can be incorporated in a street name provided it is terminated with an appropriate suffix (e.g.. Mile End Road)

5. All new pedestrian ways to end in the following suffixes:

• Walk
• Path
• Way

6. No building or street name is to start with 'the'.

7. All new block names should end in one of the following suffixes:

• House
• Court
• Lodge
• Apartments
• Mansions - residential only
• Point – High block residential
• Tower/Heights – High block offices or residential.

8. For private houses, the name cannot repeat the name of the road or any house or building in the area.

9. The use of North, East, South or West (as in Alfred Road South) is only acceptable where the road is continuous and passes over a major junction. It is not acceptable when the road is two separate parts with no vehicular access between the two. In such a case, one half should be completely renamed.

10. Avoid having two phonetically similar names within a postal area and, if possible within a borough, e.g.. Alfred Road & Alfred Close or Church Hill Road and Birch Hill Road.

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Numbering of Buildings

1. A new street should be numbered with even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other, except for a Cul-de-sac where consecutive numbering in a clockwise direction is preferred.

2. Private garages and similar buildings used for housing cars should not be numbered.

3. The correct numerical sequence will be used for street numbering and no exceptions will be made for any numbers.

4. Buildings (including those on corner sites) are numbered according to the street that the main entrance appears on. Any manipulation of numbering to obtain a different address is not acceptable.  

5. If a building has entrances in more than one street but it is a multi-occupied and each entrance leads to a separate occupier, then each entrance should be numbered in the appropriate road. Exemptions may be made depending on the circumstances, for a house divided into flats.

6. A named building may not have more than one number in one street.

7. In residential buildings (e.g. blocks of flats) it is usual to give a street number to each dwelling where the block is up to six storeys in height. When the block exceeds this or where there are not sufficient numbers available because of an existing development, the building should be given a name and number in the street. Within named buildings developers are advised to number flats on each floor in a clockwise direction. If this is not possible consult their local sorting office. When flats are numbered internally, they should be numbered not lettered. (e.g.. Flat 2, 21 Smith Street not Flat A, 21 Smith Street and not 21A Smith Street which might already be used by an adjoining infill building)

8. The use of numbers followed by letters is permitted. These are needed, for instance, when one large old house in a road is demolished and replaced by (say) four smaller houses. To include the new houses in the numbering sequence would involve renumbering all the higher numbering houses on that road. If a considerable number of other houses would be affected, then to avoid this, each new house should be given the number of the old house with either A,B,C or D added.

10. No use of punctuation except for the abbreviation of St, Saint.  

11. No numbers are to be used within the name of a building or street.  

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Renaming or Renumbering of Buildings and Streets

Renaming/renumbering existing buildings and streets is normally only considered when changes occur which give rise (or are likely to give rise) to problems for the occupiers, Post Office or emergency services.

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Address

Local Land Charges
Alexandra House
10 Station Road
Wood Green
N22 7TR

Tel: 0208 489 5573
Fax: 0208 489 3948

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