Falkirk Council is the Street Naming Authority under the Civic Government Act 1982. Each local Councillor provides names for new streets in their ward. Numbers for properties on new streets or new properties on existing streets are allocated by the Roads & Development Unit.
New addresses
New addresses are created in accordance with British Standard BS7666. This provides for a standardised address structure across the UK. It is therefore sometimes not possible to create an address exactly as a property owner might wish.
Developers, both companies and individuals, should apply for new street names and numbers as soon as their layout is authorised and preferably at least two months before occupation, allowing time for the process to be completed.
Street names and name plates
Street name plates in new streets are provided by the developer and must be fabricated and erected to a standard Council specification. (The Sign Factory can offers a complete range of street name signage services.)
After adoption as a public road, street name plates are maintained by Corporate & Neighbourhood Services|.
Developers should note that utility companies may not be prepared to install utility meters in a property without a legitimate address, preventing it being occupied. Names or numbers cannot be provided instantly, if applying at the last minute.
Property names
We strongly recommend that house names are registered with The Network Support Team to ensure that they become a formal part of the address. Occasionally, where it is impractical to number properties, a name is the only unique identifier. It may not always be possible to accept an owner’s suggested name.
Both for new house names and when a change of property name is requested, checks are made in the vicinity to try to ensure that there are no duplicate names, which could lead to confusion on the part of emergency services or delivery companies.
If a property name is not registered, it may not show up in these checks and, if another owner then registers the same name, the latter registration would take precedence.
In the case of commercial premises it is not appropriate to incorporate the company name as part of the property address.
Publishing new addresses
Once street names and property numbers and names are created, the Roads & Development Unit inform around twenty organisations of the registered address. These include the emergency services, Royal Mail, the Assessors, many utility providers and other Council services.
Postcodes
Postcodes are provided by Royal Mail, not the Council. These are created after Royal Mail receive the official address from the Council.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail has a vital role in relation to addresses, not only in respect of mail delivery, but also because Royal Mail’s website is currently often thought to be the definitive source of address information for delivery companies, credit companies, and banks and the like. If the address has not been supplied officially by the Council it will not be recorded on Royal Mail’s website and often such bodies may decline to provide their services.
We pass most new addresses to Royal Mail before there is any need for mail delivery. Royal Mail record the addresses but do not ‘publish’ them on their website until they are advised that they are being occupied. Accordingly they cannot be viewed by other parties.
Royal Mail’s processes should lead to unpublished addresses being made live but do not always do so. If an address is not visible to professional bodies, such as banks etc, owners should advise Royal Mail that their property is now occupied. To avoid problems, owners might choose to advise Royal Mail a day or two in advance of first occupation.
Royal Mail’s contact details are shown under ‘Postcodes’ below. Any problem in publishing an address is for Royal Mail to correct, not the Council. However, if Royal Mail do not have any record of the address at all, you should contact Network team to check that the property address has been registered with Falkirk Council.
Further information
To enquire about street naming and numbering, please contact the Network Team at the numbers or addresses shown above.
To enquiries about postcodes, please contact Royal Mail (telephone 0906 302 1222 or visit www.royalmail.com|)