Buckinghamshire Council Street Naming and Numbering Policy

6.1 All new property development shall be numbered rather than named. We will number new and replacement properties when redevelopment takes place. However, new properties in an existing unnumbered street will require a property name.

6.2 New streets shall be numbered with odd numbers on the left hand side and even numbers on the right, commencing from the primary entrance to the street. Where the street is a thoroughfare between two other streets, the numbering shall commence at the end of the street nearest the centre of the town or village.

6.3 Consecutive numbering may be used in a cul-de-sac or in a situation where there is no scope for future development in the street.

6.4 The number of a property will be allocated to the street onto which the front door faces. If the front door provides no direct access from that street, an exception may be made.

6.5 Numbers should remain in sequence and wherever possible there shall be no exclusion of any number due to superstition or personal preference. However the Street Naming and Numbering Officer reserves the right to exclude a number from the sequence (for example, four or thirteen) at their discretion.

6.6 Flats and units shall be given individual numbers where possible; the sequence of the numbering depends on access to front doors of individual premises.

6.7 When a numbered property is converted to flats, the flats should be numbered, for example Flat 1, 20 High Street. A numbering scheme such as Flat A/Flat B or First Floor Flat shall be avoided. The same shall apply for units, apartments and other forms of property subdivision.

6.8 When new properties are built on an existing street and there are no available numbers to use whilst retaining the current sequence, a letter shall be used as a suffix, for example 15A.

6.9 New street names shall not be assigned for the sole purpose of avoiding numbers with a suffix.

6.10 A business name shall not take the place of a number or a building name.

6.11 Private garages and buildings used for housing vehicles and similar purposes will not be numbered.

6.12 A piece of land, for example a farmer’s field, cannot be given an official address, only property on that piece of land can have a conventional address for the purposes of delivering mail and services.

6.13 In the event of unresolved disagreement, a final decision will be taken by the Senior Service Head who has delegated powers to approve numbering schemes, and there will be no right of appeal.