Street Naming and Numbering

Due to limited resources and a high volume of applications, there are currently delays in processing applications. Royal Mail have also indicated that they are currently experiencing severely increased processing times. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The Council deals with the naming and numbering of new streets and individual properties and any change to a property name.

To register or change an address with Torridge District Council, you must:

Pay the appropriate fee.
Have full planning consent for all new addresses.
Not have any ongoing property transactions at the site.
Provide a site plan indicating the position of the property (if requested by an officer).
Prove ownership of the property with title deeds or a land registry document (if requested by an officer).

The fees cover the costs of providing information to Royal Mail, and other organisations such as the Emergency Services and HM Land Registry.

If you need to check an address, we suggest you use Royal Mail's online Postcode Checker. They can also be contacted via telephone.

Please see our Street Naming & Numbering Notification List for details on who this service informs.

Please note that all applications usually take a minimum of 30 working days* from the date of receipt to process, and may take longer due to factors beyond the Council's control.

All fees are calculated based on the application's date of receipt by Torridge District Council. The fees shown on this webpage are for the 2025/26 Financial Year.

Please note that the Council has no power to control how postal addresses are used, and is not responsible for incorrect use.

Please see below for the services offered:

Reporting the Condition of a Street Nameplate (SN0)

Follow this procedure if you encounter a street nameplate on an adopted road that is:

Damaged - Including broken support poles & dented signs.
Defaced - Including graffiti & vandalism.
Obscured - Including covered nameplates and nameplates with an advert or notice affixed up to 1 foot (~30 cm) away.
Illegible - Including worn down signs, or signs in need of repainting.

Please note that Torridge District Council does not repair street nameplates on unadopted roads.

To check whether a road is adopted or not, please contact the Devon County Council Highways Department (Tel: 0345 155 1004).

To submit a report, please click the button below:

Start Now (Nameplate Report)

Application for Cosmetic Change to Address (SN1)

Follow this procedure to change names of existing properties:

Complete the SN1 Application Form, linked in the Apply section
We'll check to ensure there is no other property in the locality with the same name
Subject to no issues being found, we'll inform Royal Mail and other services of the change

Notes

We strongly recommend against similar sounding names.
Under no circumstances will a name be allowed which is offensive.
If the property has a postal number, it is not possible to replace it with a name. If an application is made attempting this, we shall add an 'alias' name to the address instead.
Please note that this service is discretionary.
For further guidance please refer to our Street Naming & Numbering Policy and our Process Guide.

Fees

A fee of £60.00 applies when changing the name of an existing property. Where an application affects multiple units, the charge is £60.00 per unit.

Apply

Please note that requests can only be accepted from the owner of the property.

Please be advised that all SNN cases are currently being processed on a non-priority basis, as the service is being transferred from our Estates Department to our Planning Department. We cannot provide a timescale on when applications will be processed, and we will therefore not be providing updates on individual cases. The interim SNN Officer will only contact you if your case is completed, or if we encounter an issue while processing your application. Please note that the SN1 Procedure is a discretionary service.

Start Now (Cosmetic Change)

Please see the notice at the top of this page before applying.

Application for New Postal Address (SN2)

Follow this procedure for new properties / developments:

Complete form SN2 (available to print or word format which can be completed electronically).
If your application relates to a site where five or more new addresses will be needed, you will have to provide a digital site plan in the form of a geo-referenced .dwg file.
We'll inform Royal Mail and other services
Royal Mail will add the address to the 'Not Yet Built' file.
The address will go 'live' when the plot is ready to be occupied.

Please note that you should only apply for property addresses once construction has begun.

You must provide the planning application reference which corresponds to the properties being constructed.

If you submit an alteration to the planning permission that authorises the construction, or if you construct the properties under a different planning permission, the new addresses allocated as part of your case may be invalidated. You will also be required to apply and pay again.

If the application is submitted early, your case will be put on hold until the Council's Building Control Team informs us that the construction of buildings has begun.

For further guidance please refer to our Street Naming & Numbering Policy and our Process Guide.

Fees

There is a fee of £91.00 per application, plus a fee per property, which varies depending on the number of properties

1 to 10 units - £16.00 per unit.
11 to 100 units - £9.00 per unit.
100+ units - £2.00 per unit.

Apply

Please note that you must finalise your planning permission before you apply, as you will be asked for the planning reference covering the new properties in the application.

Street Naming & Numbering relies on this information to correctly record which street the address opens onto (determined by the position of the front door), to record new road layouts, and also to record the number and types of property (details of this can be found on the form).

Any planning applications that alter these facts may void any addresses allocated under a previous planning permission. Applications submitted while a new planning permission is under consideration will cause the address application to be put on hold. If the site has no relevant planning permission granted on the date of application, your address application will be rejected.

Please also note that the Council strongly recommends that you consult with the local parish council(s) before submitting a request for new street names. This helps to minimise conflicts that can hold up the process.

Please be advised that all SNN cases are currently being processed on a non-priority basis, as the service is being transferred from our Estates Department to our Planning Department. We cannot provide a timescale on when new applications will be processed, and we will therefore not be providing updates on individual cases. The interim SNN Officer will only contact you if your case is completed, or if we encounter an issue while processing your application. Certain activities covered under the SN2 Procedure are statutory services. These activities will be carried out by an interim officer as required. Discretionary elements may take longer to process.

Start Now (New Postal Address)

Please see the notice at the top of this page before applying.

Confirmation of Address Letters (SN3)

The Council can issue residents and property owners a letter confirming the official address of their property, as held in the Local Land & Property Gazetteer (LLPG). This is sometimes required by organisations that need to prove that the property exists and has been registered.

This service carries an application fee of £40.00 per physical letter or digital PDF letter. We recommend that our customers choose the digital option, as if a sent physical letter is lost they shall have to pay the fee again to have it reissued. Digital PDFs can be reissued to the customer at no additional cost.

Please note that the Council shall not issue any official address confirmation documents by way of a written email. Official Address Data from the LLPG is also exempt from the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as it is available in the public domain.

Please note that this service is discretionary.

Apply

To apply for an address confirmation letter, please click the button below:

Start Now (Confirmation of Address)

* The Torridge District Council normal working days are Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. The Council is also closed on public holidays and during the Christmas / new year period. Information supplied outside of working days, on public holidays, or during the Council's annual Christmas / new year closure will be considered as being received on the next working day.