House numbering and street naming

The registration of a property is becoming an increasingly important issue. More and more organisations, postal and emergency services, as well as the general public, need a quick and easy way of locating and referencing properties. The council is the Street Naming and Numbering Authority for the Medway area and it carries out this statutory duty under the provisions of the Public Health Act 1925, sections 17-19. It also has to act under the Town Improvement Clauses Act 1847 and the Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1907 when considering a change to an existing road name.

Information about any changes to an address is sent to:

• public utilities,
• emergency services,
• the Land Registry,
• Ordnance Survey,
• District Valuation Office,
• relevant council services, such as:
  
  
  • Council Tax,
  • Land Charges,
  • Electoral Registration
  • Building Control.

Unregistered addresses

If a property is not registered, the owner or occupier will encounter difficulties in obtaining goods and services, such as applying for a credit card or goods bought by mail order. The reason for this is that the address will not appear on the main database held by the Royal Mail and it is this address information that is purchased by other organisations, so if it does not show on the Royal Mail's records, other organisations may assume that the property does not exist.

Changing a property name

If your property has a name and not a postal number and you wish to change the name of the property, you have to obtain approval from the council. The reason for this is that confusion could arise with more than one property being known by the same name in the same road or vicinity. This could cause problems for the emergency services in locating the property. In these circumstances, a property owner wishing to change their property's name must put their request in writing to the council using the details at the foot of this page, stating their name, the present full address of the property and their new preferred house name. If your preferred name is not acceptable, the council will ask you for an alternative. If it is acceptable, you will be notified once the change has been approved.

Adding a name to a property

A property owner can additionally name their property without contacting the council if they have a postal number, as long as it does not conflict with an existing property name in that locality. The property name will not form part of the official postal address. The property number must be clearly displayed on the property and be visible from the highway. Any name given a property that has a postal number will not be registered and therefore your property will only be known by its number and not any name you add to it. You must therefore always quote your postal number in all communications.

Developing a single property or a small development

If you are a developer of a new single property or small development, you will have to contact the council as soon as your building begins on site. A single or small development will usually be named or numbered into the existing street. If the development is within a numbered road, A, B and C will be used along with the adjoining number, i.e. 12A, 12B, 12C. If the street has named properties in it, the new properties will not be numbered but named. The properties will be registered initially by their plot number and once the new owners have chosen their preferred name, the council will follow its standard process for changing a property name.

Developing a large estate

If you are a developer of a large estate, copies of the site layout drawing and location plans must be provided to the council's Street Naming and Numbering Team once you commence work on site. It can then process the naming of any new streets and the numbering of your properties without delay. Any suggested street names will be consulted on with the Royal Mail and the emergency services, as well as the Parish Council if necessary. The Street Naming and Numbering Team carries out research on development sites, as it may be that some history can be traced and more appropriate street names used. A naming and numbering schedule will be finalised and sent out to all relevant consultees, which should be used to inform all your prospective buyers of their new property address.

Renaming or renumbering a street

On rare occasions, it becomes necessary to rename or renumber a street. This is usually only done as a last resort when:

• there is confusion over a street’s name and/or numbering;
• a group of residents is unhappy with the street name;
• new properties are built in a street and there is a need for other properties to be renumbered to accommodate the new properties;
• the number of properties in a street known only by their names is causing confusion for visitors, postal services or the emergency services.

In any of these cases, existing residents will be contacted and their views taken into account. The council will then consult the Royal Mail. To change a street name, the council will ballot the local residents on the issue. At least a two-thirds of residents must be in favour of the change before the council takes action. This is a very time-consuming process and the council is only able to progress one such change at any time. All costs associated with this procedure, including advertising costs in the press and on site, replacement street nameplates and the standard renaming fee, must be met by the people initiating the change. There may also be other charges for the council's services in managing the process. A schedule of charges is available from the address below.

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