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Naming

 
The Council maintains a list of suitable names for streets and new developments. This list, which is available to developers on request using the contact details on the right, contains the names of deceased people who have pursued the aims of the Council in a laudable manner, as well as ancient or old names which have disappeared from use but which have previously been associated with the area.

Please note that postcodes are allocated by the Royal Mail’s Address Management Centre at:

Address Management Unit
Royal Mail
Admiral House
Admiral Way
Doxford International Business Park
Sunderland SR3 3XW

The Council has no powers in this matter.

House names

If you need to name your property, please contact the Council for further information. Call 020 8921 5460.

Developers

The developer can suggest a street name or building name for their development, provided the reason for the choice and the derivation of the name is stated. However, the Council reserves the right to reject suggestions made by developers. Suggested street names can be rejected if they:

  • duplicate an existing street name in the same or nearby postal district and the use of an alternative suffix, eg Avenue or Gardens, is not acceptable to distinguish it
  • are similar to an existing street name in the same or nearby postal district
  • are likely to cause offence to members of the public, or can be easily modified on a street nameplate to cause offence
  • are difficult to spell, or likely to cause confusion when given over the telephone, particularly in an emergency
  • seek to commemorate serving dignitaries or politicians
  • have the prefix ‘The’ or names comprising more than one word that could lead to confusion, particularly in an emergency.

Renaming

The rules for renaming of streets generally accord with those for naming.

How to apply

If you wish to apply for a new name please refer to our How to apply page for further details.

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