Street naming and numbering
Addressing guidelines
A new address can only be created by the Council, so that duplication can be avoided and other services are notified of the correct addresses. There are national guidelines, conventions and laws governing the process which are brought together in the following information which applies to both residential and commercial properties. Company names do not form part of a property address as they may be updated or altered so offices, shops and so on do need addressing fully.
Address format
Where possible, all addresses in Calderdale should follow the format: Number, Street name, Locality (where needed), POST TOWN, Postcode.
- Example:
- 1 Northgate
HALIFAX
HX1 1UN
- Example:
- 1 Church Lane
Luddendenfoot
HALIFAX
HX2 6AQ
Some properties, such as named flats, office blocks or terraces, will need an extra line of address.
- Example:
- Flat 1, Northgate House
1 Northgate
HALIFAX
HX1 1UN
- Example:
- 1 Guildford Terrace
Surrey Lane
Luddendenfoot
HALIFAX
HX2 6AQ
We shall always try to provide an address with a maximum of five lines so that it will fit in the window of standard commercial stationery.
Property numbers
The Council will always give a property a number if possible and the number should be displayed on the front of the building so that it can be easily seen. You may give your property a name as well as a number, e.g. Rose Cottage, but the number will still form part of the official address and must still be displayed on the building.
In general, we shall number properties on the left-hand side of the road with odd numbers, including 13, and even numbers on the right-hand side. We may make exceptions to this on streets with unconventional layouts. Flats or office blocks will generally be numbered from the lowest floor upwards.
Property names
In some situations, such as farm conversions or on streets where all the existing properties are named rather than numbered, a building name may be appropriate instead of a number. Where farm buildings are being converted to domestic use, we shall generally use the existing farm name and suffixes such as Barn, Cottage etc. Apart from this exception, building names will follow the guidelines for street names given below.
If your property has a number, you may give it a name as well but it is still a good idea to follow these guidelines to avoid any conflict with your neighbours or confusion with other properties.
Street names
We shall include a street name in every address; if a property does not face directly onto a named street, this will generally be the street which your access leads off from. If you think we have used the wrong street name for your property, contact the rights of way team.
Developers are invited to put forward names for any new street or property they are building and names of local or historical significance are particularly welcome. However we may reject a proposed name which:
- duplicates or is similar to an existing name in the same or a nearby postal district. The use of an alternative suffix, eg Avenue, Gardens etc, is not acceptable.
- is likely to cause offence to members of the public or may be easily vandalised on a street nameplate in order to cause offence
- is difficult to spell or likely to cause confusion when given over the telephone, particularly in an emergency
- may be socially or politically sensitive
- incorporates personal or business names, except in cases of historical significance.
There is no guarantee that the Council will approve a development marketing name as the street name unless we have agreed the name in advance, which will require an early application.
Locality
The locality is not an essential part of the address as long as you use the postcode and there are no definitions of the exact boundaries between localities to show where, for example, Stainland ends and Holywell Green begins. The Council will not insist that you use a particular locality in your address and you may find that it is not always included in some official documents or lists.
Post town and postcode
Post town boundaries are defined by the Royal Mail who also allocate postcodes. When we are addressing your property, we shall contact Royal Mail so that we can tell you the complete address but we cannot alter this part of the address.
There are six post towns in Calderdale:
- Halifax: HX1, HX2, HX3 and HX4
- Elland: HX5
- Sowerby Bridge: HX6
- Hebden Bridge: HX7
- Brighouse: HD6
- Todmorden: OL14.
For application forms for a new address see Addressing procedure and application forms. The charges are listed under 'Rights of Way' at Highways and Engineering Services charges 2012/13.
