Introduction and background
1. Oxford City Council is the relevant authority to issue new street names and numbers within the Council’s administrative area.
2. The Council is empowered by the provisions of the Oxfordshire Act 1985 (sections 13 and 14), the Public Health Act 1925 (sections 17 to 19) for the purpose of naming street and by Section 64 of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act 1847 for the purpose of the numbering of properties.
3. The operational process of applying for and determining street names and numbering is governed by the Street Naming and Numbering Policy, which is reviewed every three years. The current policy was approved by Cabinet on 12 July 2023.
Revision of the Policy
4. The purpose of the Policy is to guide applicants and officers with the process for applying for new street names or numbers, including instances where re-naming or re-numbering is desired.
5. It sets out the kind of names appropriate for different street typologies, the types of names that are not appropriate due to, for example, trademark issues, and the community consultation that the Council undertakes for new street names.
6. The current Policy, whilst still fit-for-purpose, has had minor updates to reflect best practice.
7. The revised Policy introduces a formal appeals and review process for individuals and developers who disagree with a proposed street name or property numbering decision. The process provides a clear escalation route, including an initial review by the Street Naming and Numbering team, consideration by senior officers where required, and a final determination by the Director of Planning and Regulation.
8. The revised Policy also introduces a refunds policy, providing greater transparency regarding the circumstances in which refunds may be considered. This includes situations where a scheme has not been issued due to a lack of the necessary permissions or where development has not commenced on site, applications for unacceptable property names where no alternative acceptable name is provided, and the refund of any overpayments or overcharged fees identified by the Council.
9. The Policy has been updated to reflect the current senior management structure within the Council. References to the Head of Planning Services have been replaced with Director of Planning and Regulation, ensuring that the Policy accurately reflects current delegated responsibilities and decision-making arrangements.
10. References to the national addressing standard have also been updated from GeoPlace Data Entry Conventions and Best Practice for Addresses: DEC – Addresses Version 3.4 (September 2016) to DEC – Addresses Version 3.5 (May 2025), ensuring that the Policy remains consistent with the latest national guidance and best practice.
11. The Policy is reviewed formally every three years, with the next review point due in July 2026. However in order to make sure that the escalation procedure in particular reflected the recent change of service lead the revised Policy is being brought to Cabinet early.
12. The revised draft Policy retains the delegation for minor amends of the Policy to be made by the Head of Planning Services. Policy re-drafts or significant changes will require approval by the Cabinet.
13. Cabinet could choose to defer the review of the Policy until November, this is not recommended as the revised Policy better reflects best practice and also how the service is managed.
14. It is therefore recommended that Cabinet approve the revised Policy, noting that it will be reviewed in three years’ time with any following revisions coming before Cabinet.