Street naming and numbering

Advice for developers

New streets:

Both adopted and unadopted highways are named in a formal process by St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Developers may suggest names, but they should have some local or historical basis and not relate to living persons. Once a name has been proposed the borough council will carry out checks to avoid duplication in the local area and undertake the relevant consultations. If developers prefer not to propose a name, the borough council will ask the local history society to make a suggestion. Where several names are needed, a theme is often chosen.

This process should be started as soon as planning permission has been granted and building works have commenced.Once agreement has been reached the borough council will notify all other relevant bodies such as the Land Registry and the emergency services.

For information about street signs, please contact Engineering Services by email at engserv@stedsbc.gov.uk or phone 01284 757319.


Street numbering:

All new properties will require a either a name or number. New properties on new streets will be allocated a number by the borough council. New properties on existing streets will either be numbered or given a house name depending on the existing scheme. If required, house names can be suggested by the developer/owner which will then be considered by the borough council.



Adding or changing a house name

General information

If you are moving into a property that is currently registered with a house name rather than a number (often in rural locations and with older properties) you are entitled to change the name provided it complies with the following conditions:

* The name you are considering must be acceptable, not either rude or offensive and one that it is not currently being used or very similar to one being used by another property in your local area.

If you are moving into a property that currently has a house number, you are not entitled to change this for a house name. The property's new name must appear alongside the original number. The number will continue to be used as a reference to the property. For example:

Rose Cottage
1 The Street
Home Town
Suffolk

If you are new to the area and would like to find out whether your chosen house name is already being used by another property in the area you can ask local residents or register free with the Post Office website and conduct a name search using your new postcode.


How to add or change a house name

To change your property name, please follow these simple steps:

1. Once you have thought of a name for your property you should contact St Edmundsbury Borough Council so it can be checked that it complies with the conditions set out above*. You can do this by either completing our online request form or by phoning 01284 757367 to speak with the Land and Property Gazetteer Custodian. We will endeavour to carry out the checks within 3 working days.
   
   
2. Once the local authority is happy with your new address, we will notify you and also the different council departments in order to link historical records to your new address. This is to enable you to receive all of the council's services, entitle you to vote and register your property for Council Tax.
   
   
3. As soon as this has been done you can expect to receive all council services and go about informing service providers, friends and family of your new address.

Problems receiving your mail?

If your mail is not reaching you or you wish to query an address, you should visit your designated post-town post office or contact them on the number below. In St Edmundsbury properties fall within six post towns. They are as follows:

• Bury St Edmunds
• Diss
• Haverhill
• Newmarket
• Sudbury
• Thetford

All can be reached on 0845 7223344 (calls charged at local rate).