Street naming and numbering

Street naming and numbering standards

The Public Health Act 1925 (sections 17 to 19) places a statutory obligation on councils to supply and maintain correct addressing for every street within the authority. All names and numbers are issued in accordance with our street naming and numbering standards which establish the rules around the processing of:

East Suffolk Council defines all elements of an address except the postcode and postal town which are the responsibility of Royal Mail. Royal Mail will assign a postcode only when the council has notified them of the official address. There is a charge for the non-statutory provision of our service, for information please see our fees and charges schedule.

All new street names will end with a terminal word such as:

  • Road
  • Lane
  • Street
  • Place
  • Avenue
  • Gardens
  • Drive
  • Way

Certain suffixes are only used in certain circumstances:

  • Crescent - Crescent shaped road only.
  • Close - Cul-de-sac only.
  • Square - Square only.
  • Hill - Hill only.
  • Terrace - Terrace of houses but not a subsidiary name within another road.
  • Mews - Converted stables in a courtyard or lane but would be considered acceptable for most small terraced developments.

Pedestrian routes only will be named as:

  • Walk
  • Path
  • Way

Flats and apartments

If the developer wishes to name a block of flats or buildings then they must supply a suitable name, which will be put through the same consultation process as a house name request.

Suitable suffixes for blocks:

  • Court - Flats and other residential buildings.
  • Mansions - Other residential buildings.
  • House - Residential blocks or offices.
  • Point - High residential blocks only.
  • Tower - High residential or office blocks.

Naming protocols

The following considerations should be given for all new street/property names:

  • If a name refers to a person or event, there should be a connection to the area.
  • The names of living people should not be used in order to avoid the possibility of any future negative publicity.
  • If family names (of deceased persons only) are to be considered, permission must be obtained from any living relatives before submitting the name for consultation.
  • Names which follow a theme (usually in developments with several new roads) should reflect the history or environment.
  • Names which may be deemed offensive in terms of race, faith/religion, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or are inappropriate language must not be used.
  • Street names or building names should not duplicate existing names, especially if they fall within the same postcode sector. A postcode sector is identified by the first character of the second part of a postcode e.g. IP12 2**
  • Phonetically similar names should be avoided e.g. having Churchill Close then creating new road named as Birch Hill Close.
  • If a road is split, e.g. in case of stopping up order, the separate parts of the road should have different names. This is to avoid situations such as the emergency services entering the road from the wrong end.
  • The use of street names which include numbers which can cause confusion, for example, 20 Seven Foot Lane sounds the same as 27 Foot Lane.
  • The use of a name with royal connotations. The consent of the Lord Chamberlain's office must be obtained if a name with any reference to the royal family or the use of the word 'royal' is suggested.

Numbering protocols

The following considerations should be given for all new street/property numbers:

  • Numbering should be clockwise in a cul-de-sac. Otherwise, numbering will usually follow odds on the left and evens on the right from the start of the road which is usually the end accessed via the nearest important road.
  • Properties will be numbered from the road on which the main property entrance is situated. The only exception to this may be with flat conversions.
  • Numbers are allocated in numerical order excluding number 13.
  • Where a block of flats is built within an existing street, it should be named and given a street number then numbered from '1' e.g. '1 Eglinton House, 108 Swanscombe Street'. Numbering will usually be clockwise within the building unless this does not provide a sensible delivery order for postal services. In a new development which contains both flats and houses, the numbering can be continuous if appropriate.
  • The word 'flat' should only be used when describing a property and not as part of the official allocated address. There may be exceptional situations when this is unavoidable.
  • Any names given to a property as part of the address should be used in conjunction with the street number and not in place of it.

Additional and relocation of street nameplates

For any enquiries relating to requests for additional signage or the relocation of existing signage you can use our Damaged or missing street name plate reporting form. There may be a charge incurred. This will be in line with our fees and charges schedule.