Total number of road name changes (FOI231189)

This Freedom of Information request asks for the total number of roads that have had their names changed between 25 May 2020 and 6 October 2023

Request for information - Ref no: FOI231189

December 1, 2023

Information request

We received your request on 6 October 2023.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

A copy of your request is set out in the extract below:

“I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to know the total number of roads that have had their names changed between 25 May 2020 and 6 October 2023, along with details setting out: - The former name of each road, and what it was changed to - The date that the name was changed - The location of the road in question (full address if possible) If anything is unclear in my request, or if the information exceeds the cost of compliance limits, please provide guidance on how I can clarify this under your S.16 obligations as soon as possible”

Our response

I confirm that Ordnance Survey does hold the information you have requested.

I am pleased to provide you with the attached Excel spreadsheet (.csv) with regard to your request which details a list of roads or sections of roads that have had a name change since 2020.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by copyright. You are free to use if for your own purposes, including private study and non-commercial research, and for any other purpose authorised by an exception in current copyright law. Documents (except photographs) can be used in the UK without requiring permission for the purposes of news reporting. Any other reuse, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder. Most documents supplied by Ordnance Survey will have been produced within government and will be Crown copyright.

Advice and Assistance

The information contained in the spreadsheet has been compiled from the Highways data by comparing the 2020 data with the 2023 data by looking for a difference in the version date and a change in roadname and/or alternate name for Welsh roads.

The information included in the spreadsheet is as follows:

Column title	Details
Roadname_2020	The roadname of that roadlink as of May 2020
Roadname_2023	The roadname of that roadlink as of October 2023
Boundary_ward_name	The name of the boundary ward the road is sited in

Note: With roadlinks representing parts of a road, some of these can have different version dates due to things like an update from a surveyor. With this in mind, the date columns are:

Column title	Details
Previous_date	The minimum version date from the 2020 roadlinks that represent the name change
Date_of_change	The minimum version date from the 2023 roadlinks that represent the name change and show the name change having taken place

Extra columns added:

Column title	Details
Roadlink_count	A count of the roadlinks that make up this road name change
Roadlength	A sum of the lengths of these roadlinks that make up the road name change, in metres.

Next steps

Internal review

Your enquiry has been processed according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. If you are unhappy with our response, you may request an internal review with our Internal Review Officer by contacting them, within two months of receipt of our final response to your Freedom of Information (FOI) request, as follows:

Internal Review Officer
Customer Service Centre
Ordnance Survey
Adanac Drive
Southampton
SO16 0AS

Please include the reference number above. You may request an internal review where you believe Ordnance Survey has:

Failed to respond to your request within the time limits (normally 20 working days)
Failed to tell you whether or not we hold the information
Failed to provide the information you have requested
Failed to explain the reasons for refusing a request
Failed to correctly apply an exemption or exception

The Internal Review Officer will not have been involved in the original decision. They will conduct an independent internal review and will inform you of the outcome of the review normally within 20 working days, but exceptionally within 40 working days, in line with the Information Commissioner’s guidance.

The Internal Review Officer will either: uphold the original decision, provide an additional explanation of the exemption/s applied or release further information, if it is considered appropriate to do so.

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