"Personally, I prefer quirky, unusual names - for example Bleeding Heart Yard in the City of London - but they can be controversial!"
Gareth
Street Naming and Numbering (and Local Land and Property Gazetteer) Officer
I approve all new block names, street names, and building numbers - basically every part of an address apart from the postcode!
How is naming done in the borough?
Proposals for new street and building names mainly come from developers. Ideas for names may come from maps or local history librarians, archivists or history societies. Generally names of living known people should be avoided. Objects and animals and names related to the local area or the particular site are usually suitable. For instance, Ganley Court on the Winstanley Estate was named after the suffragette Caroline Ganley who became a Battersea Councillor in 1919 and the MP for Battersea South in 1945. Emily Duval was a Battersea Councillor alongside Caroline Ganley and accordingly, Taylor Wimpey are considering her name for their first private block on Grant Road. This name is appropriate as the Duval family of women suffragists were local residents of Clapham Junction and are not reflected in any other street or building name in the area.
What is the process and timeframe for setting up a new address?
The Council likes local residents to have input into the process of choosing names for new blocks in their area. Any part of an address, apart from the street name, can be finalised in approximately a week. Building names require consultation with the emergency services, primarily the Fire Brigade, Council departments such as Land Charges, and the Cabinet Member and Opposition Speaker on the Strategic Planning and Transportation Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Are roads ever renamed?
The process to change a road name is complex so it has been infrequent in recent years. Street naming involves a statutory procedure which takes around two months and includes advertsing the proposed name on the street. However, nearly every Victorian Street in the borough will have been renamed at some point. For example, there were a lot of Church Roads and High Streets at one stage and German sounding names were changed during the war periods. Old York Road (formally York Road) is one of the more recent road name changes in the borough which arose following the development of Swandon Way.
What are some of your favourite or most memorable names in the borough?
Personally, I prefer quirky, unusual names - for example Bleeding Heart Yard in the City of London - but they can be controversial! One of my favourite developments is the Ram Quarter in Wandsworth where the street names all relate either to sheep or to brewing (due to the ram connection and its presence on the old Young’s Brewery site). Legislation states that street signs must only state the street name and district and it is traditional to display black lettering on a white background. However, the Council can vary this if it is desirable to do so and as long as the signs are clear, conspicuous and legible. In this way, we gave approval for the street name plates in the Ram Quarter to display a brown colour and a hop motif. We consider all proposals with an open mind and if we think that an idea will work well - for instance in making a neighbourhood stand out as a defined area – we will give it the go ahead.