Agenda item

The Director of Planning and Building Control submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1       To outline the legislation, policy and procedural considerations relating to the re-naming of streets in the City.

 

2.0       Recommendation

 

2.1       Members are asked to note the approved procedure to be followed when a proposal to re-name a street is received and to decide whether to move forward with the renaming process for Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens in the absence of an application from an individual.

 

            Should Members be minded to trigger the renaming process, it is recommended that an initial petition is not carried out but that officers work with Elected Members in the appropriate DEA to generate alternative street names to be included in the survey of persons affected by the renaming proposal.

 

3.0       Main Report

 

            Background

 

3.1       The power for the Council to name streets is contained in Article 11 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 1995.

 

3.2       This legislation contains no procedural advice regarding the naming or re-naming of streets and in this regard the procedures to be applied are covered by policy and practice.

 

3.3       The current policy on re-naming streets in Belfast is contained in the Street Naming and Building Numbering Policy approved by Council in February 2009 (Appendix 1).

 

3.4       The Council need to carefully consider any application for renaming of streets within its boundaries, as renaming of streets has profound implications on address management for the city, emergency services and the public. In practice this will primarily impact residents and any businesses owners and their tenants whose personal, business and legal documentation associated with their current address will need to be changed. This will be the responsibility of residents and local businesses.

 

3.5       At the Council meeting in November 2025, Members asked for a report on the process for renaming streets given that two streets within Belfast contain the name ‘Prince Andrew’; namely Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens.

 

            Overview of the Procedure and key considerations

 

3.6       Relevant policy considerations are outlined below: -

 

            Application

 

3.7       The Street Naming and Building Numbering Policy as approved assumes that an individual will make an application to rename a street.

 

            Initial petition.

 

3.8       Any application for re-naming of a street is expected to be accompanied by an initial petition of not less than one third of all residents of the street showing a positive interest in changing the street name. The adopted policy sets out that a request from an individual without support of survey or signed petition will not be considered and the individual will be informed accordingly.

 

3.9       There is no definition of resident, or explanation of how a petition of residents would be verified, however a resident could be considered to be any person whose name appears in the current Electoral Register plus the owners or tenants in actual possession of commercial premises given that business premises would also be impacted by this name change.

 

            Alternative names

 

3.10     In accordance with current practice under the street naming process, the initial application and petition would indicate what name is being proposed with a second choice of street name which would be included on the survey form.

 

            Survey

 

3.10     Any application received by the Service for the renaming of a street which has the requisite support outlined above would be presented to Council seeking its approval before proceeding with the application.

 

3.12     If the application is approved, the opinions of persons affected by the renaming proposal would be sought. The policy states that this shall be through a survey of residents over the age of 18 and whose name appears on the current Electoral Register, requesting an indication of their support for or opposition to the proposed name change.

 

3.13     It should be noted that this does not include the owners or tenants in actual possession of commercial premises, residential landlords or residents not on the electoral register, whose views would not be taken into account, but who would be affected by any renaming.

 

3.14     If the result of the survey shows that at least two thirds of residents surveyed agree with the proposed name change then a recommendation will be placed before the People and Communities Committee for agreement of the change of name.

 

3.15     If the application is granted approval, Council will supply and erect new street name plates to replace the existing nameplates and will notify relevant stakeholders and the applicant that the street renaming has been approved.

 

3.16     Under the current policy any request or re-application to change a street name which has been refused will not be accepted until a minimum period of 2 years has elapsed.

 

            Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens

 

3.17     The Council has not received an application from an individual to rename Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens. For information, it should be noted that there are only residential properties within the two streets, there are no commercial premises.

 

3.18     Members may decide that despite the agreed process set out in Appendix 1, and in the absence of an application from an individual to rename the two streets, the renaming process should be started for both Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens.

 

3.19     If this is the case, members should consider whether the requirement set out in the policy for an initial petition should be waived. The usefulness of the initial petition (built into the process to illustrate to members that the process should be triggered) should be considered and it may be that it is members may deem it unnecessary both in terms of staff resource and duplication of the survey that will ultimately be undertaken and presented to committee.

 

3.20     If the renaming process is agreed to be started for both streets, alternative names will be required to be included in the survey undertaken, As these alternative names will not be included in an initial application, it is proposed that officers work with elected Members from Botanic DEA (where the two streets are located) to determine alternative street names alongside residents. 

 

            Next Steps

 

3.21     If members agree to start the renaming process for the two streets, a further report will be presented to a future People and Communities Committee detailing the results of the initial petition (if required) and outlining the proposed first and second alternative street names. If that report is agreed, the final survey will be undertaken and the results presented to a further committee.

 

            Financial and Resource Implications

 

3.22     There may be financial and resource implications if it is decided that an application is not required to change the name of Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens and if Council Officers are tasked with undertaking the initial petition of residents. If the renaming is ultimately approved, Council will supply and erect new street name plates to replace the existing nameplates.

 

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.33     None.”

 

The Committee noted the approved procedure to be followed when a proposal to re-name a street was received and agreed to consult with residents on whether to move forward with the renaming process for Prince Andrew Park and Prince Andrew Gardens in the absence of an application from an individual. The Committee also noted that a report on the consultation would be brought to a future Committee for consideration.