NEW developments in one part of Somerset will have to follow different rules about the naming of their streets.

Sedgemoor District Council is expected to approve a revised version of its street naming policy, governing the names which can be given to new roads in the district.

This comes as plans for 260 new homes off the A372 Westonzoyland Road in Bridgwater come before the council’s planning committee for approval.

The street naming proposals will be discussed by the council’s executive on Wednesday (June 6) – the day after the development committee rules on the proposed new homes in Bridgwater.

The council is already bound by UK-wide regulations on how streets and be named and numbered – namely the Public Health Act 1925 and the Town Improvement Clauses Act 1847.

But every council has to set its own policy within these boundaries, including the process for changing the names of streets, or how streets are re-numbered if more properties are built there (or existing ones are divided up).

Under the proposed new policy, the following conditions will be in place for new streets:

  • They must not duplicate any similar name in close proximity – for instance, St Mary’s Close cannot be next to or near St Mary’s Road or St Mary’s Avenue
  • They should not be “difficult to pronounce, awkward to spell” or spelt in a way where the punctuation could cause confusion (for instance, Boden-Smith Street)
  • They should not reflect the unofficial “marketing” titles given to a given site by a housing developer
  • They should not be named in any way which would “undermine the cohesiveness of local communities” or which would “breach rules of common decency” (for instance, by containing words which are racist or sexist)
  • They should not include “the”, or apostrophes, or plurals (such as The Saltings) – but building names can include “the” if deemed necessary
  • They should not be used to advertise a particular company or brand (for instance, Persimmon Road or Bovis Place)
  • They should not include points of the compass unless the road passes over a major junction They should not be phonetically similar to any nearby roads (e.g. Red Street and Read Street)

They should not be named after any living individual. Dead individuals can have streets named after them, but only with the consent of their estate.

 In addition, the council also has strict rules over the end of road names.

For example, ‘Street’ or ‘Road’ can be used for any type of thoroughfare, but ‘Way’ is reserved for major roads and ‘Drive’ or ‘Grove’ can only be used in residential areas.

If residents wish to rename their street – or change the order of the numbers – they must consult with Royal Mail and a ballot will be held.

The change can only go ahead if 100 per cent of residents vote in favour, and the residents will have to pay all the associated costs.

Council leader Duncan McGinty said in his report: “This a very time-consuming process and can be very emotive for those involved, and should therefore only be contemplated as a last resort.”

When a developer builds on a new site, they will usually ask for suggestion from the community and then put forward official recommendations to the council for approval.

If they do not do this, the council is able to install names of its own without further input, to ensure that emergency services know where to go following a call-out.

The executive meeting at which the revised policies will be discussed will begin at Bridgwater House in Bridgwater at 10am.