The official address of a property is essential for emergency
services, post, deliveries, organisations and the general public,
to locate and identify properties easily and swiftly. Havant
Borough Council is the Street Naming and Numbering Authority which
names/numbers all properties for the administrative area of
Havant, which includes Waterlooville, Cowplain, Purbrook, Havant,
Hayling and Emsworth. It is a statutory function carried out
under the provisions of the Public Health Act 1925 and other
related legislation.
The prominent display of your house number (or name - where no
official number is allocated) should be clearly visible.
Contacts:
Telephone: (023) 9244 6278
Can I name my house without contacting the Council?
If a property is already numbered, this number must be used in
the official address although a property owner can
additionally name their property without contacting the
Council, as long as it does not conflict with an existing property
name in that locality. The property name in this case will
not officially form part of the property address, and the
property number must aways be displayed and referred to in any
correspondence; for example:
'My House' (not part of official
address)
1 My Road (official address)
Town
County
Postcode
You only need to seek permission from the Council if there is
no number allocated in the official address (i.e. if the property
has been allocated a name as part of its official
address).
Can I rename my house?
In the case of addresses where there is no number allocated,
the allocated name forms part of the official address. Property
owners wishing to change the property name need to put their
request in writing, stating their name, the present full address of
the property and state clearly their new preferred name.
This service may be chargeable at the current rate of £90 per
address.
Address Management Team
Development Services
Havant Borough Council
Public Service Plaza
Civic Centre Road
Havant
Hampshire
PO9 2AX
Telephone: (023) 9244 6278
When requests are received we contact Royal Mail to see if
they have knowledge of a similar named property in the locality. We
check our information systems and if the name is satisfactory, then
the new address is registered and you will be informed accordingly.
If there is an issue with your preferred name, we will request
alternatives.
The property name change information is then sent to Royal
Mail, Emergency and Essential Services and internal departments. It
is the responsibility of property owners to inform their own
personal contacts etc.
I am developing a single property/small development- how do I
number properties?
If you are a developer of a new property (single or small
development), you should contact the Address Management team at the
address above as soon as you commence work on site. A single or
small development will usually be named or numbered into the
existing street.
If the property is within a numbered road, then often ABCs are
used along with the adjoining number (for example 12A, 12B,
12C...). If the street has named properties, then the development
plot numbers will be used initially to register the property
address and subsequently, when the new owner chooses a
name, we use the British Standard (BS7666) guidelines for
implementing changes.
The information is then sent to public utilities, emergency
services, Land Registry, Ordnance Survey, Hampshire County Council,
and internal departments. You will also be sent a copy of the
registered address from which we would ask you to inform your
prospective purchasers of their new property address.
I am developing a large estate - how do I name new streets and
number properties?
If you are a developer of a large estate, you should contact
the Address Management team at the address above as soon as you
commence work on site so that we can process the naming of any new
streets and the numbering of your new properties without
delay.
We will check your suggested street names for duplication in
the local area and forward them to Royal Mail for consultation.
When we have an agreed name, we will then register the street
name/s and prepare a numbering schedule.
The information is then sent to public utilities, emergency
services, Land Registry, Ordnance Survey, Hampshire County Council,
and internal departments. You will also be sent a copy of the
naming and numbering schedule from which we would ask you to inform
all your prospective purchasers of their new official property
address.
Where appropriate, you will be asked to provide new Street
nameplates and in some cases renew existing plates with the
addition of “leading to” signs.
What happens if a street needs renaming/renumbering?
On rare occasions it becomes necessary to rename or renumber a
street. This is usually only done as a last resort when:
- there is confusion over a street's name and/or numbering
- a significant number of residents are unhappy with their
streetname with reasonable justification
- new properties are built in a street and there is a need for
other properties to be renumbered to accommodate the new
properties
- the number of named-only properties in a street is deemed to be
causing confusion for visitors, the delivery or emergency
services.
Existing residents will be contacted and their views taken
into account. We will then consult the Royal Mail for their
position on the issue. To change a street name we will ballot the
local residents on the issue. Hopefully there will be 100% support
but generally it should be more than two thirds support (for an
average street) and each request is considered according to the
circumstances.
This a very time consuming process and we are only able to
progress one of these issues at any time. However if you think you
have a street naming issue, please contact us at the address
above.
This service may be chargeable at the current rate of £90 per
address.
Official Address Application Form and full Guidance
information
Note; this form is only to be used where
there is a requirement for a new property address e.g. as in new
builds or planning approved property division requiring an
additional address. If a change to an existing address is
required then the Address Management Team should be contacted on
02392 446278 for further information.