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Housing 

House numbering

Street naming and property numbering/ naming

The Council is responsible for naming the roads, maintaining and replacing street name plates, and for the numbering and naming of properties.

House Names

If your house has a street number, you can still give your property a name.  The name will not form part of the official postal address, but can be recorded by the Council onto a national database (developed to standardise address across the country) that is,  used by other authorities, the emergency services, and utility companies.

Please note that we will refuse any application to remove a street number from an official address.  To add a house name to your existing address, please email bissnn@southoxon.gov.uk

If your house only has a house name and does not have a street number, you can rename your house with any name you choose provided there is no other property in the postcode area with a similar name.  This is important for mail delivery and for the emergency services.  Please contact us to find out if there are any existing similar names within the same postcode area.

If you wish to change your house name, please let us know by using the online form below:

We can then officially change the name of the property and advise the Royal Mail, Ordnance Survey, council tax and emergency services.

Street Name Plates

If any street name plates are damaged or missing, please let us know by using the online form below:

To see the works progress of any street name plate, please use the link below:

New developments

If you are building a new property, or developing a site, please send a location plan and site layout to Business and Information Systems.  We will then allocate street numbers to the properties and advise the Royal Mail, Ordnance Survey, council tax and emergency services.

Please note that there is a consultation process when naming new roads and this can take 2-3 months. 

Interesting facts

  • in general, odd numbers are allocated to the left of a street, and even numbers to the right

  • the number 13 is not used by this Council on any new developments

  • the Oxfordshire Act 1985 states that property owners must display the official street number or property name so that it is legible from the street

  • street names often reflect local history, or commemorate local people

  • the names of streets are generally suggested or agreed by, the local town or parish council.  You should contact the local clerk for any information about the reasons for naming any particular street