Who is responsible for the address of my property?

Only the council has the statutory powers to name streets and name or number properties. However, we cannot allocate the postcode as this is the responsibility of Royal Mail. When you make an application to us for street naming and numbering, we will liaise with Royal Mail to assign a postcode.

All official addresses are held in the National Address Gazetteer. It is the responsibility of local councils to maintain the information for their area. The database is used by most public authorities and emergency services. It is also sold as a commercial product to most private companies that need access to address data.

Can I add a house name to a numbered property?

Yes. The house number must always be displayed at the front of the property and used in any correspondence. The council has powers to enforce the removal of a name to a numbered property if it duplicates an existing name in the street or if it can be considered rude, obscene or racist or would contravene any aspect of the council's equal opportunities policy.

Why am I not getting deliveries to my address?

It is the responsibility of the occupier to ensure that the number of the property, or name where there is no number, is clearly visible from the highway. Sometimes an entrance can be to the side or rear of a property and not be obvious. If it is clear, and deliveries are still not being made by Royal Mail, we advise you to speak to your local Royal Mail delivery office. We do not consult directly with internet mapping services such as Google or Bing Maps or with satellite navigation (Sat Nav) companies.

What are the LLPG and NLPG?

We maintain and update the address database, known as the Local Land & Property Gazetteer (LLPG), which contains all the official addresses in the Borough. All changes made through the SNN process are included in the LLPG.

The (LLPG) feeds into the national address database known as the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG). The address data in the NLPG which conforms to British Standard, BS7666:2006, is continually updated by all local authorities and provides one definitive source of address data. It covers the whole of England, Scotland and Wales and contains more than 30 million residential, business, and non-mailing addresses.

Information about Royal Mail and Postcodes

We assign postal addresses to new properties and developments. Royal Mail allocates the postcodes. They do this after they have received confirmation of the address from us. If you contact Royal Mail with an address query, they will usually ask you to contact us. They will only accept a new address or change of address from the Street Naming and Numbering Department.

Royal Mail does not put addresses of properties that are still under construction on their website. This means addresses that have been agreed with us may not immediately be visible to anyone using their website for address confirmation purposes, such as utility and other service providers.

Once the property becomes occupied, you should let Royal Mail know using their online contact form.

Royal Mail online contact form

Until then the addresses will remain in their 'Not Yet Built' file.

Please do not assume a development will have the same postcode as the surrounding or existing properties. Please also note: We discourage the informal adoption of marketing names by developers as these names may not be approved. This practice can cause confusion and inconvenience for all parties.