Street Naming and Numbering
Introduction
Dartford Borough Council is the street naming and numbering authority for the administrative area of Dartford. The service provides the definitive source of address information within the Borough and supplies new property addresses and street names. This function is carried out in accordance with the Public Health Act 1925 (sections 17-19).
- Street Naming and Numbering Guidance
- Renaming Your House
- Developments Not Requiring New Street Names
- Developments Requiring Street Names
- Key Stages of the Street Naming Process
- Suggesting A New Street Name
- Renaming & Renumbering Existing Streets
- Postcode Allocation
- National Land & Property Gazetteer (NLPG)
- Street Name Plates & Door Numbers
- Contact Details
Please note, the allocation of a postal address does not serve as confirmation that any building or structure has been authorised under Planning, Building Control or any other Legislation. Owners and/or occupiers may be at risk of enforcement action if any necessary approvals have not been obtained.
Street Naming and Numbering Guidance
Over time Dartford Borough Council has set precedents for names that are acceptable for new streets and buildings. While there is no national definitive list of acceptable types of name, the Council has incorporated advice given by the Royal Mail and the Fire Brigade. The focus of this advice is to facilitate speedy and accurate mail delivery and to minimise errors and delays in finding an address for the emergency services.
- Street Naming and Numbering Guidance (PDF 69Kb)
Renaming your house
Residents who wish to add a name to their property or change the current name, should download and complete the Address Amendment Form (PDF 76Kb). The completed form can be posted to our office or scanned and emailed to us.
All suggested names are subject to consultation and if any of the suggested names are unsuitable for any reason, we will contact you regarding your enquiry and request alternative options.
Once consultation has been undertaken and approved, we will send you notification of your new address which you should keep with your house documents for future reference. Please note, you must continue to use the house number in all correspondence. The only exception to this rule is on named-only properties which were not allocated numbers when first built.
All internal Council departments will be made aware of the change along with the Emergency Services, Land Registry and Royal Mail. However, it is the responsibility of the occupier to inform other contacts (such as utilities, insurance, and telephone companies etc) of your new property name.
Please note, service providers can take up to two years to update their records with the new address details.
developments Not Requiring New Street Names
Developments without new access roads are normally numbered within the existing numbering scheme on the road the builds are on. If there are a number of properties being built, a sub name may be required. This is usually in the form of a building name for blocks of flats or a terrace name for houses. Please note, terrace names are only considered if there are no logical or appropriate numbers available within the existing scheme and it is not appropriate to use suffix letters.
This name does not have to go to Council Cabinet for a decision but the development numbering scheme will still need to conform to the Council's policy as detailed in the Street Naming and Numbering Guidance and the name will be subject to consultation with the Royal Mail and Emergency Services. Once an application has been received, a member of the Property Information Team will be able to advise you if any additional names are needed.
To apply for new addresses, please download and complete the New Build Address Request Form (PDF 144Kb). The completed form can be posted to our office or scanned and emailed to us.
developments Requiring New Street Names
Due to Council Cabinet procedures, the process of naming a new street can take up to three months and it is advised that you apply for any new street names at least eight weeks before building work commences.
To apply for new addresses including new street names, please download and complete the New Street Name & Address Request form (PDF 137kb). The completed form can be posted to our office or scanned and emailed to us.
Once you have received confirmation that your application has been received, it would be helpful if you could supply a digital copy of your proposed plans either as an AutoCAD drawing, or in a common GIS format. Please send these to propertyinformation@dartford.gov.uk
Key Stages of the Street Naming Process
- The developer proposes a street name after reading the Street Naming & Numbering Guidance and by completing the New Street Name & Address Request Form.
- The Council formally object to any suggested names. This is part of the Public Health Act 1925 and done in order not to lose the right to object at a later stage. This is a formality the Council must undertake and does not indicate the actual decision that will be made at Cabinet.
- The suggested name is sent for a consultation with the Developer, Emergency Services, Royal Mail, all Council Members and the Parish Council (if applicable). The consultation period is 10 working days.
- If there are any objections to the proposed name during the consultation period, the consultation may need to start again with a new name.
- The proposed name is put forward at the next appropriate Cabinet meeting.
- Once the Cabinet decision has been made to approve the name, a notice is placed at the site for a period of one month where anybody may then object to the name.
- If Cabinet reject the name, new suggestions will be requested and the consultation process restarted.
- At the end of the notice period, if there have been no objections, postcodes will be allocated by Royal Mail and all interested parties will receive confirmation of the new addresses.
If the developer has not applied for street naming and numbering before the properties are occupied, there will be a delay in addresses being registered and postcodes being allocated which could mean that new residents experience difficulties when dealing with service providers who use postcodes to locate properties.
Dartford Borough Council is the definitive source for addressing in the Borough and all new street names and numbering schemes must be approved. Developments named and numbered by the developer alone may be subject to change by the Council.
If you would like a paper copy of either of the Street Naming & Numbering forms or the Guidance notes, please contact the Property Information Team who will arrange for them to be sent out to you.
Suggesting a New Street Name
If you are not a developer but would like to suggest a street name for a particular area within the Borough, we are always glad to hear your suggestions. Please refer to the Street Naming & Numbering Guidance notes on suitable names. We cannot guarantee that the name will be chosen but the details will be kept on file for if a suitable road scheme or development is proposed in that area.
Please write to or email the Property Information team with your suggestion. It is important that you attach supporting evidence explaining why the proposed name has a Borough connection.
Renaming & Renumbering Existing Streets
On extremely rare occasions, it may be necessary to rename or renumber an existing street. This is only ever done as a last resort in cases such as:
- Confusion over a street name
- A road is subject to a stopping up order
- New properties are built on the street and there is a need for existing properties to be renumbered to accommodate the new builds
- The number of named-only properties in a street is deemed to be causing confusion for Emergency Services, postal deliveries etc
Applications for changing existing street names which do not fall into the above categories will not be acknowledged
Postcode Allocation
Royal Mail are the sole providers of postcode information and Dartford Borough Council do not have the ability to change or alter your postcode unless asked to do so by the Royal Mail.
When a new address has been created the Council informs the Royal Mail Address Development Centre who will allocate the new postcode. They will not issue postcodes for new properties unless requested to do so by the Local Authority. Also, Royal Mail do not have the ability to change or alter your official address unless asked to do so by the Local Authority.
For further enquires regarding postcodes you can contact the Royal Mail postcode enquiry line on 08457 111222 or visit their website at www.royalmail.com/postcodeupdates.
For enquires regarding missed collections or delivery problems you can telephone the Royal Mail customer helpline on 08457 740740.
Commercial businesses which require a new postcode for business purposes (e.g. increased volume of mail) should contact the Address Management Unit on 08456 039038 to discuss their requirements.
National Land & Property Gazetteer
Dartford Borough Council maintains a Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG). This is the definitive source of address information within the Council and forms a part of the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
The NLPG is a national project which is a single property database of every single parcel of land or property within the country.
The Property Information team has spent many years developing a corporate database which includes information from all Council departments on land and property.
This is a key development in providing on-line services to citizens and helping to improve customer service.
Street Name Plates & Door Numbers
It is a legal requirement under the Public Health Act 1925 that there is adequate signage erected in a clear, prominent position in relation to the builds showing any street names and sub names (for terrace or block names).
Any number and/or property name that is associated with identifying individual properties must also be displayed in a clear, prominent position that can be read from the roadside.
On new developments, it is the developers’ responsibility to erect the appropriate signage once the builds are ready for occupation.
If your street name plate is missing, damaged or has been vandalised, please contact Customer Services on 01322 343434. Replacement door numbers are the responsibility of the owners/occupiers of the property
Contact Details
- Street Naming and Numbering
Property Information
Dartford Civic Centre
Home Gardens
Dartford
Kent
DA1 1DR - Email : propertyinformation@dartford.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01322 343425
