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To celebrate Gazetteers @ GIS Day, we’re shining a light on the world of Street Naming and Numbering (SNN) — and the people behind it. SNN officers play a vital role in shaping the identity and functionality of our villages, towns and cities. By ensuring every property has a clear, logical, and officially recognised address, they underpin everything from emergency services and deliveries to planning, navigation, and democratic participation. Without their work, the systems that keep our communities connected simply wouldn’t function as smoothly as they do.
In this special SNN Spotlight, former local authority SNN officers — now part of the GeoPlace team — share their memories, quirks, and what makes the sometimes-challenging role so rewarding. It’s a celebration of the expertise and good humour that define the SNN community.
Below you can find resources such as videos, interviews and a flyer that you can share to raise awareness of the important role of SNN officers in local government.
Hannah Brooks (GeoPlace)
Former SNN Officer
Hannah Brooks (GeoPlace)
Former SNN Officer
Hannah spent 11 years working in SNN at the City of London Council
1. What’s one thing only an SNN officer would understand?
How some people are so superstitious about numbers! Not only the number 13, but as more foreign developers and buyers moved into my area, we had to become aware of all the numbers that were considered unlucky in other cultures. The list grew quite long…
2. What’s the strangest or funniest street name you ever had to deal with?
There was an historic name recorded (from the 13th century!) for a street in my area that was incredibly rude, and every few years a mischievous councillor would put forward a motion to reinstate it, just to get it on the minutes at committee meetings.
3. What’s the most memorable clash you ever had to resolve? (two streets with the same name, a developer’s creative idea…)
A major corporation decided to name a building after itself without permission. However, it transpired they only actually occupied a few floors of the building and some of their competitors, who also occupied that building, unsurprisingly were not happy when they found out their rival’s name was to be part of their address. We told them to drop it, they objected, execs were even flown over from Singapore to make their case, and the saga made it to the BBC news and local papers. Must have been a slow news week.
4. What’s the one thing you miss most about the job?
Finding out so much rich history just through the names of buildings and streets. Working in such an historic area, every site had something to discover through its various incarnations, from roman times all the way through to recent years. It meant that developers had no excuse for proposing boring or generic names!
Simon Bailey (GeoPlace)
Former SNN Officer
Simon Bailey (GeoPlace)
Former SNN Officer
1. What’s one thing only an SNN officer would understand?
You will never please everybody. Someone will always have an issue with your decision.
2. What’s the strangest or funniest street name you ever had to deal with?
Someone wrote to me formally to ask for one of the paths to be named “Dog Sh1t Alley" When I told colleagues the name everybody knew exactly which path they were referring too. It even got mentioned (but not minuted) in a council meeting.
3. What’s the most memorable clash you ever had to resolve? (two streets with the same name, a developer’s creative idea…)
One developer insisted its development name was better than our official names. And refused to use it in the sales process. Caused chaos.
4. What’s the one thing you miss most about the job?
The ability to leave something visible as a legacy.
