Rules governing how streets in County Durham are officially named will be discussed by councillors next week.
A draft Street Naming and Numbering Policy will be presented to members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet when they meet on Wednesday, 7 March.
The council has a statutory duty for the naming and numbering of streets across the county, a role that was previously carried out by the seven former district and borough councils prior to the formation of the unitary authority.
The new policy formally sets out how it will undertake this responsibility in the future.
Cllr Bob Young, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for strategic environment, said: “The purpose of the policy is to ensure that any new street names and numbers are allocated logically so that property addresses are clear and unambiguous.
“This is important for a number of reasons, from ensuring that mail is delivered efficiently to enabling the emergency services to find properties quickly.”
The policy sets out guidelines for the naming of streets and numbering of properties on new developments as well as new-build and converted homes in existing streets.
The policy states that the council will encourage street names that reflect the local, geographic or historic significance of an area and that the number 13 will be excluded from numbering schemes.
