Guidelines for street naming and numbering
If you have difficulty selecting an appropriate name and would like advice on local history in order to make a relevant choice (this is recommended), please contact the Local Studies Librarian, at Richmond Library.
Two of our biggest problem areas in naming and numbering are
- The overwhelming desire of applicants to repeat existing names in new road or building titles (for instance a request for St Mary’s Close off an existing St Mary’s Way, near St Mary’s Church etc).
- The informal adoption of unofficial ‘marketing’ titles used by developers in the sale of new properties (these often fall foul of our Policy on a number of counts and occupiers of such premises unfortunately feel aggrieved by the ‘loss’ of a supposedly prestigious address and its replacement with something perhaps a little more mundane.
It is to be remembered that the object of the exercise is to establish a unique, unambiguous and logical address for each property in the Borough.
Another aspect of the name selection which is considered in allocating street names, linked again to the emergency services, is the selection of names that can easily be understood over the telephone in the event of an emergency (they should be easy to spell and pronounce). The adoption of names having no more than three syllables and, wherever possible, little scope for ambiguity in spelling, is favoured for this reason.
Renaming/renumbering existing streets and buildings is normally avoided unless the benefits clearly outweigh the obvious disadvantages. The occupiers of houses on corners occasionally apply to change their addresses from one road to the other because they have altered their vehicular access and this is usually quite easy to arrange. Variations from the general rule are sometimes allowed but only where it is considered that the ‘public safety’ objectives are not put at risk.