Vauxhall's factory at Ellesmere Port is to be one of four plants in Europe that will build the new Astra.
Points of Contact
New addresses, change of house names, general post-code enquiries:
| Contact: Helen Griffiths | |
| Tel: 0151 356 6380 (Planning Services). | |
| Fax: 0151 356 6689 | |
| Email: helen.griffiths@epnbc.gov.uk |
Road / Street Name Plates: 0151 356 6717 (joint Highways Unit).
Post-code Enquiries: Royal Mail Address Management Service Centre, Sunderland 08456 045060.
Problems with Postal Deliveries (Royal Mail):0845 7740740
for all districts covered by the Ellesmere Port post town:
| The Officer in Charge, Royal Mail Sorting Office, Units 13 & 14, Rosscliffe Road, ELLESMERE PORT, Cheshire, CH65 5AA |
for all districts covered by the Neston post town:
| The Delivery Office Manager, Royal Mail, Brook Street, NESTON, Cheshire, CH64 4AA |
Background information.
Street naming and numbering is a statutory function of local authorities. A new address is compiled by the Borough Council in conjunction with the Royal Mail which issues post-codes.
Road / Street Naming:
The relevant legislation covering the naming of roads and streets in the Borough is the Public Health Act, 1925 (Part II of the Act was adopted by the Borough Council and is referred to in its Charter of Incorporation papers).
If the development involves a new road, the developer has the right to submit his choice of names for the new road to the Council for approval. Sometimes negotiation will produce a suitable name - one, for instance, which reflects a link to an area's history or fits in with a theme of other road names in the locality.
Postal Numbering
The numbering of buildings within the Borough is now provided for under Section II of the Cheshire County Council Act, 1980. where the Borough Council has allocated a postal number to a property, the house owner or occupier is obliged to display the number in such a position that it is visible from the street.
In rural areas properties often may not be numbered but, instead, display house names. Over the years, the Council has undertaken postal numbering schemes in some of the rural roads which have become more 'urbanised' through the building of more properties. By displaying postal numbers in such built up areas, not only is it easier for deliveries to be made but vital minutes can be saved when the emergency services, for example, are trying to locate a particular property.
In most roads or streets, the right-hand side of the road (usually viewed from the town centre end) are allocated even numbers, with odd numbers allocated on the left. In a very small close or cul-de-sac, sometimes it makes sense to have the numbering running consecutively around the close.
The use of 'a', 'b' etc. lettering with numbering is not ideal but is sometimes necessary when, for example, a new property is built in between existing properties which are already numbered or when numbering flats. The number 13 is routinely used by the Council when allocating post numbers to new developments. However, if the new owner of such a numbered property is superstitious and wishes to have the number altered, the Council will consider issuing an 'a' number (e.g. 11a) for that property for the duration of that ownership.
House Names
The Borough Council has no jurisdiction over what name (if any) an owner chooses to give to his house. However, it would make sense for the owner to check that his choice of house name does not clash with a similar name in the immediate locality.
The Council should be informed, in writing, when a house owner either gives a new name to his property for the first time or decides to change an existing house name. This enables the Council to update its records and it will notify the Ordnance Survey (for mapping purposes) and the Royal Mail of such changes.
A property which has been officially allocated a postal number may, of course, also display a house name if it has one and use the house name as an integral part of that address. However, the postal number must still be displayed prominently on the property and continue to be used in the postal address.
The Council's records and, indeed, many other databases can cope with both a house name and a postal number for a given property. The one exception, however, is the Royal Mail which cannot use both for domestic properties. It is important, therefore, that if a householder is querying address information with the Royal Mail, he or she gives the postal number of the property (if officially allocated) rather than just the house name.
Postal Addresses - Use of Post Towns.
The Royal Mail uses Post Towns as an essential part of its postal delivery system. Up until a few years ago, the Post Town for the whole of the Borough was South Wirral but this ceased to exist when the Royal Mail introduced two new Post Towns - Ellesmere Port and Neston - and postcodes changed from L to CH.
Ellesmere Port post town covers the eastern side of the Borough including Hooton, Childer Thornton, Little Sutton, Great Sutton, etc.
The post town of Neston covers all those areas in the western side of the Borough including Parkgate, Burton, Ness, Willaston, etc.
Although some people still persist in using South Wirral, this is incorrect and the appropriate post town should always be used in your postal address. This helps the Royal Mail to deliver mail to you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Royal Mail now allows households the option of using the County name in their addresses if they so choose.
Postal Addresses - the Royal Mail Postcode system.
As with Post Towns, the use of Postcodes is an essential part of the Royal Mail's postal delivery service.
To use the Council's postcode - CH65 0BE - as an example. The first half of the postcode (CH65) is known as the outward code. This tells the Royal Mail which delivery office to transport the mail to. The outward code is split into the area code (CH) of which there are some 124 postcode areas in the U.K., and the district code (65) - of which there are usually about 20 in an area.
The last three numbers and/or letters (0BE) represent the inward code. This inward code, combined with the building name or number, gives the Royal Mail the location of the delivery point. The inward code itself is split into two - the sector (0) which contain about 3,000 addresses, and the unit (BE) which contains about 15 addresses.
National Land and Property Gazetteer
All local authorities are working on updating their address records with the intention of meeting the Government's aim of compiling these national gazetteers. Over the years, each Council department dealing with address databases (such as Planning, Electoral Registration, Council Tax, Business Rates, etc.) have sometimes been using different addresses for the same property.
In preparation for these two national gazetteers, work is now being undertaken to compile a local land and property gazetteer and a local street gazetteer for the Borough to ensure that all addresses in the Council's records are standardised.
