Street naming and numbering guidelines

When suggesting a name for a street, the following conventions should be considered:

A. New names should not duplicate any name already in use in the City of London or in adjacent boroughs where it could cause significant confusion in wayfinding or service delivery. A variation in just the suffix, e.g., ‘Street’, ‘Road’, ‘Avenue’ may be acceptable only where it is being used to reinforce a local area’s historic identity and is unlikely to cause significant confusion.

B. Names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell. Words of more than three syllables should generally be avoided. Phonetically similar names should be avoided.

C. Within the City of London, new street names may end with one of the following suffixes:

• Avenue (For a wide road with trees on both sides)
• Circus (For a large roundabout)
• Crescent (For a crescent-shaped street)
• Broadway
• Close (For a cul-de-sac only)
• Hill (For a steep street only)
• Lane
• Place (This is not appropriate for individual buildings)
• Rise (For exceptional use on steep ground)
• Square (For a square only)
• Street (For any street)
• Way
• Wharf (On or near the Riverfront)

The suffix ‘Road’ has not historically been used in the City of London. The exception is Goswell Road which was inherited by the City in the London borough boundary changes of 1994. Other suffixes may be acceptable if they are consistent with the character and function of the street.

D. New pedestrian ways may also end with one of the following suffixes:

• Walk
• Path
• Way
• Alley
• Passage
• Arcade (For a covered walkway with retail units)

E. The use of the suffix North, South, East or West is not acceptable where the street is in two separate parts with no vehicular access between the two. In such a case one half should be completely renamed.

F. Street names that previously existed within the City of London can be reinstated if there is no duplication with current street names.

G. A strong justification for renaming a street would need to be provided because of the potential inconvenience to existing occupiers whose numbers and street address would need to be changed. Renaming an existing street will therefore require strong support from owners and occupiers on that street.

H. No street name should start with ‘The’.

I. Streets should not be named after living persons, with the exception of the Royal Family, for which permission from the Cabinet Office must be sought.

J. For applications to name streets after deceased persons, permission must be obtained from the person’s family or estate administrators. To be considered, the individual should:

• Have been deceased for 20 years or have passed the centenary of their birth.
• Have a demonstrable connection to the site area or the City of London.

Building names are not an essential part of an authorised address as the building number and street name are sufficient for wayfinding and mail delivery purposes. Building names can, however, reinforce identity and may be included as part of the authorised address where desired. Building names that are included as part of the authorised address should normally relate to the building use, site owner, or local history or geography.

Building names for multi-let commercial buildings need particularly careful consideration if they are to be included as part of the authorised address. Building names should not relate to one commercial occupier unless they are the dominant occupier today (occupying over half the floorspace) and are likely to remain so for a reasonable time into the future (with a lease of at least ten years). This approach reduces the need for frequent and potentially confusing changes to a building’s authorised address.

Some buildings have ‘informal’ names that do not form part of the authorised address, Whilst such names are acceptable for marketing purposes, they should not be displayed and take precedence over the authorised address upon completion. The City Corporation has powers to prevent the display of inappropriate informal names marked on buildings that may be confusing for wayfinding or mail delivery.

When suggesting a name for a building, the following conventions should be considered:

A. New names should not duplicate any name already in use in the City of London or in adjacent boroughs where it could cause significant confusion in wayfinding or service delivery. A variation in just the suffix, e.g., ‘House’, ‘Tower’, ‘Building’ will not normally be distinctive enough.

B. Names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell. Words of more than three syllables should generally be avoided. Phonetically similar names should be avoided.

C. Within the City of London, new building names may end with one of the following suffixes:

• Apartments (For a residential building)
• Building(s)
• Centre
• Court
• Heights
• House
• Lodge
• Mansion
• Point
• Studio(s)
• Tower
• Villas

D. For specialist building uses such as Conference Centres, Public Houses, and Hotels; suffixes are recommended to facilitate easy identification of the building and its relevant use.

E. Building names without a suffix, or those using suffixes such as ‘Place’ which do not make clear that the address refers to a single building, are unlikely to be approved.

F. Buildings should not be named after living persons, with the exception of the Royal Family, for which permission from the Cabinet Office must be sought.

G. For applications to name buildings after deceased persons, permission must be obtained from the person’s family or estate administrators. To be considered, the individual should:

• Have been deceased for 20 years or have passed the centenary of their birth.
• Have a demonstrable connection to the site area or the City of London.

When numbering a building the following conventions should be considered:

A. Buildings (including those on corner sites) are numbered according to the street in which the main entrance is to be found. This is to enable properties to be located quickly and easily. The manipulation of numbering to secure a ‘prestige’ address or to avoid an address thought to have undesired associations is not appropriate.

B. A named building may not have more than one number in the same street. However, it is acceptable for an address to cover a range of numbers (for example Warwick House, 65-66 Queen’s Street).

C. A new street should be numbered with the even numbers on left side and the odd numbers on the right from the start of the street, except for in a cul-de-sac where consecutive numbering in a clockwise direction is preferred.

D. New buildings should be numbered to fit within existing numbering on the street, including where streets are numbered consecutively rather than odds/evens. Previous anomalies however, are not to be repeated. There are current anomalies in the City of London which have caused problems and the intention is that these will be corrected as opportunities arise.

E. A proper numbering sequence starting with the number 1 should be maintained and numbers shall not be omitted from a sequence, e.g., Flat 13 or the number 4. Omission of numbers has caused confusion in a range of instances including emergency service responses, mail delivery and third-party identification of all flats or units in a property.

F. If a building has entrances in more than one street, then each entrance should be numbered according to the street it faces.

G. Use of letter suffixes may occur when a site is subdivided and there are no extra numbers available.

H. When flats are numbered internally, they should be numbered not lettered (i.e., Flat 1, 24 Tudor Street, not Flat A, 24 Tudor Street or 24A Tudor Street. Developers are advised that on each floor the numbering should be in a clockwise direction.

I. Numbering of addresses will be numeric rather than textual, e.g., 1 London Wall not One London Wall.

The City of London is the historic core from which the rest of London developed, and it has a rich heritage. The City Corporation takes the opportunity to re-enforce this heritage through its street and building naming responsibilities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider the history of a site when submitting applications for street or building names.

The City Corporation is committed to reflecting the contributions of all members of the City’s communities in street naming and numbering. Applicants are encouraged to consider whether there are names, subjects, sites and events from the City’s past that may be celebrated including the lives of exceptional individuals from diverse backgrounds, and those who championed the rights and freedoms of protected characteristics groups.

Re-instatement of previous address following redevelopment £300