Street naming and numbering

Current Turnaround

We are currently experiencing high volumes of work and as such there will now be delays in processing applications and enquiries for street naming and numbering. We anticipate that each application will take a minimum of 3 months and possibly longer.

Street naming and numbering

The naming of streets and naming and numbering of properties within those streets is a statutory function of the council.

It is important to maintain a comprehensive and high standard for naming streets and numbering or naming properties to ensure:

• Emergency services are able to find a property quickly
• Post is delivered efficiently
• Visitors can locate their destination
• Reliable delivery of goods and services
• Records of service providers to be kept in an efficient manner
• Local and central government departments can work from one official address base

Most service providers and statutory undertakers such as gas, electricity, water and telecommunications companies and internet service providers will not connect services until new premises have been given a formal postal address.

Please note that no address within the Borough is legal unless authorised by Hastings Borough Council.

Street Naming and Numbering Policy

This policy was adopted by Cabinet on 08 July 2013.

• Street Naming and Numbering Policy (pdf)
• Existing street names (last updated: September 2024)
• Possible street names: (last updated: August 2024)

Fees are payable for our street naming and numbering services:

Fees

• Naming of a new street*: £221.50
• Naming and numbering a new development or redevelopment: £110.30 per unit/address
• Naming or numbering a new individual property: £110.30 per unit/address
• Renaming or renumbering once the new development addressing has been agreed: £110.30 per unit/address
• Renaming or renumbering existing properties: £110.30 per unit/address
• Confirmation of property address: £56.15 per unit/address
• Street renaming/renumbering at resident request*: £221.50 per new street + £110.30 per unit/address

*The fee for these services is for the registration and notification of the new street not the naming itself.

Street naming and numbering form

• Street naming and numbering form (.doc)
• Street naming and numbering form (.pdf)

Street Nameplates

Because of the council's extremely challenging financial position we have made the difficult decision to postpone any further spend on street nameplate repairs and replacements within the borough with immediate effect.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents and visitors and we hope that we can restart this work when the financial position has improved.

Please let us know by email to abrown@hastings.gov.uk if there are damaged or missing street nameplates and we will keep a record for when repairs and replacements can start again.

Hastings Borough Council has a responsibility to maintain street nameplates for adopted highways only.  You can look to see if a road is adopted on the East Sussex County Council website.

If the road is not adopted, there will normally be some form of maintenance agreement in place between the residents of the road. This would usually be managed by the property owners that the road serves or an agent and they would be responsible for the street nameplate.

On new development sites, it is the developer's responsibility to install new street nameplates and not the responsibility of the local authority.
Information about the style of nameplates and where they should be positioned can be found in our Specification for Street Name Plates document.

Land and Property Ownership

For information about land ownership please visit our Estates page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is responsible for the address of my property?

Only the council has the statutory powers to name streets and name or number properties. However, we cannot decide the postcode as this is the responsibility of Royal Mail. When you make an application to us for street naming and numbering, we will liaise with Royal Mail to assign a postcode. If you contact Royal Mail with an address query, they will ask you to contact us.

All official addresses are held in the National Address Gazetteer. It is the responsibility of local councils to maintain the information for their area. The database is used by most public authorities and emergency services. It is also sold as a commercial product to most private companies who need access to address data.

Can I add a house name to a numbered property?

Yes, but it will not be recognised as part of the formal address. The house number must always be displayed at the front of the property and used in any correspondence. The council has powers to enforce the removal of a name to a numbered property if it duplicates an existing name in the street or if it can be considered to be rude, obscene or racist or would contravene any aspect of the council's equal opportunities policy. A name can only be added without a number where there is no available numbering possibilities or where the other existing properties in the street are only named. Please see our Street Naming and Numbering Policy for further information.

A utility company will not recognise my address

Utility companies such as water, gas, electricity or internet service providers and credit checking companies will often not recognise the address of a property. This usually affects flats but can effect other types of property too. An example of this would be where you know your property as Flat 1 but it is recorded as Ground Floor Flat in the official national address database.

Depending on the circumstance we can do one of two things to help resolve this problem:

• You could apply to us for a 'confirmation of property address' using our application form above. We will provide you with a document stating the correct address of the property which you can send to your utility company.
• You could apply to 'Rename of renumber' the property using our application form above. If you are a tenant of the property, the application will need to be made by the owner. We will change the address in the national address database which will in turn notify companies who use this product. We will also inform council departments such as taxation and electoral services and external organisations such as Royal Mail, The Valuation Office and Land Registry.

Why am I not getting deliveries to my address?

It is the responsibility of the occupier to ensure that the number of the property or name where there is no number is clearly visible from the highway. Sometimes an entrance can be to the side or rear of a property and not be obvious. If it is clear and deliveries are not being made by Royal Mail, we advise you to speak to your local Royal Mail delivery office. We do not consult directly with internet mapping services such as Google or Bing maps or with satellite navigation (Sat Nav) companies.