Postal addressing

Coventry City Council is the street naming and numbering authority for new street names, changes to street names; and numbering and renumbering of properties within the city.  It is a statutory function defined in the following:-

• The Town Improvement Clause Act 1847;
• Public Health Act 1925, Section 17-19;
• West Midlands County Council Act 1980 as amended by Local Government Act 1985.

The naming of streets and naming and numbering of buildings is important.  It is essential for the postal and emergency services to be able to locate and to reference properties as well as for the safety of the general public.

Where a Local Authority wishes to charge for discretionary services, Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 allows charging on a "not for profit" basis, that is, the Council can only aim to recover cost incurred.  This is to encourage improvements to existing services and develop new services, with the aim of improving overall services to the customer.

There is a considerable amount of resource, both in staff time and associated costs that are incurred in the Street Naming and Numbering process.  As the Council has a statutory obligation to provide such a service, it is a service that cannot be ignored.

Who should apply?

• Individuals or developers building new houses, commercial or industrial premises. 
• Individuals or developers undertaking conversions of residential, commercial or industrial premises which will result in the creation of new properties or premises.

Procedures for New Developments

Developers are advised to start the street naming process soon after Planning Permission for the development is granted and no later than when the Building Regulations commencement inspection is carried out, or an Approved Inspector Notice is given

To avoid confusion it is advisable to be cautious in the use of an address for marketing purposes.  Problems can arise if purchasers have brought properties which have been marketed under an unofficial name and legal documentation has already been drafted.  It should be pointed out in the literature distributed to prospective purchasers, for example, that marketing addresses are subject to approval by the Council and therefore may need to be changed when properties are officially registered by the Council.

The Royal Mail will not allocate a postcode until they receive official notification of new or amended addresses from the Council.

Street naming

New street names should avoid the duplication of any similar street name already in use in the city.  A variation in the terminal word, i.e. Street, Road or Avenue will not be sufficient reason to duplicate a name, as this repetition can delay the attendance of emergency services and other services and can also cause confusion for utility companies and delivery companies etc.

On submission of an application, the Council will consider the developers suggested road names or if they have none, suggest some road names for them. 

The following guides apply:-

1. Suggested names need to be sufficiently unique to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.
2. Names of living people are not normally allowed.
3. Where possible names should reflect the history of the site or acknowledge the geography of the area. Names that could be seen as advertising are not acceptable.
4. Names that could be considered offensive will not be accepted.

Once the names have been agreed, the Council will contact Royal Mail and the West Midlands Fire Service for their agreement of the road names.  When they have agreed these names, the Council will consult with Ward Councillors for the area of the development.

Following agreement of the road names the development will be numbered and the Royal Mail contacted to allocate postcodes.

The Council will then issue the addresses to the developer and to all the other relevant bodies that require notification.

Street Numbering

For all new development sites and for infill plots in numbered roads, the Local Authority will apply the numbering process to all new properties.  Properties will be numbered and addressed from the street with the primary access and delivery point to the property.

Houses with names (no postal number allocated)

If your property has a name and not a postal number and you wish to change the name of the property, you will need our approval. It could cause confusion if more than one property in the same road or vicinity has the same name.

Emergency services could also be delayed in locating your property.
When a new apartment block needs a name as well as postal numbers the above rules for street names will apply.

Application Process

Applications for new postal addresses need to be submitted to the Local Authority. The application will be processed when all the required details are received:

• Completed application form
• Site layout illustrating layout and access to property/properties.  Where there are blocks of flats in the development we require layout plans of each floor with the access to the building marked clearly on it.
• Appropriate fee

Applications can be made to buildingcontrol@coventry.gov.uk or by post to Building Control, City Services & Development, Floor 2, Civic Centre 4, Much Park Street , COVENTRY , CV1 2PY . All cheques should be made payable to Coventry City Council or an online payment may be made.

Charges

These charges are not subject to VAT.

If you have submitted your Building Regulations Application to Coventry Building Control the street naming and numbering will be free of charge.

Outside Coventry City Council's responsibilities 

Coventry City Council is not responsible for the following:

• Postcode allocation: is the responsibility of the Royal Mail.
• Non-delivery of items to the official address: issues should be raised with the appropriate delivery service.
• New/amended addresses being unavailable on databases used by third parties: various third parties refresh their address sets at different frequencies and from different sources, and address changes can therefore take some time to appear in their systems.