Naming and numbering

The Royal Borough has a legal duty to ensure that street and building naming and numbering is clear, unambiguous and consistent. Our guidelines are set out below:-

  1. A new street should be numbered with even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other. Cul-de-sacs are an exception, where consecutive numbering in a clockwise direction is preferred.
  2. Private garages and similar outbuildings used for housing cars, and such like, will not be numbered.
  3. No sanction will be given to the avoidance of any numbers, such as 13, 7 or 4 and so on, and a proper sequence should be maintained. Renaming/renumbering existing streets and buildings is normally only considered when changes occur which give rise (or are likely to give rise) to practical problems for the occupiers, Post Office, Emergency Services, and such like.
  4. Buildings (including those on corner sites) are numbered according to the street in which the main entrance is to be found and the manipulation of numbering in order to secure a "prestige" address or to avoid an address which is thought to have undesired associations will not be permitted.
  5. If a building has entrances in more than one street but is a multi-occupied building, and each entrance leads to a separate occupier, then each entrance should be numbered in the appropriate road. Exceptions may be made, depending on the circumstances, for a house divided into flats.
  6. A named building may not have more than one number in one street.
  7. In residential buildings (example, blocks of flats) it is usual to give a street number to each dwelling where the block is up to six storeys in height. When the block exceeds this height or there are not sufficient numbers available because of existing development, it should be given a name or number in the street. 
  8. The numbering of flats within a named or numbered building is outside the scope of the borough's powers, but developers are advised that on each floor the numbering should be in a clockwise direction where this is possible, or alternatively consult with the local District Postmaster. 
  9. When flats are numbered internally they should be numbered not lettered (example, Flat 2, 21 Smith Street, not Flat A, 21 Smith Street and not 21A Smith Street which might already be used by an adjoining infill building).
  10. Legislation permits the use of numbers followed by letters or fractions. These are needed, for instance, when one large house in a road is demolished and replaced by (say) four smaller houses. To include the new houses in the numbered road sequence would involve renumbering all the higher numbered houses on that side of the road. If a considerable number of other houses would be affected, then to avoid this each new house should be given the number of the old house with either A, B, C or D added. Fractions are only used where it is not possible to use letters.

The Council is also able to liaise with the Royal Mail to confirm a legal address. This is a chargeable service. To request this please email us at planning@rbkc.gov.uk