Welsh place names

This Freedom of Information request asks for the number of place names in Wales which have changed in our mapping since 2017

Request for information - Ref no: FOI221064

August 31, 2022

Information request

Thank you for your email of 27 January 2022, requesting information from Ordnance Survey in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000, as set out in the extract below:

“Can you provide the amount of place names that have changed on your maps in Wales where the name has been changed from Welsh to another language. Would it be possible to have a list from 1/1/2017 to present”

Our response

I confirm that Ordnance Survey does not hold the information you have requested.

In accordance with our duty under section 16 of the FOIA, we can provide the following explanation.

This information is not held because we do not record the language of the names in our database. Where a single name is recoded, it is marked in the database as the “accepted” name. Should the name change from English to Welsh or Welsh to English, then it will still be regarded as “accepted.” It is therefore not possible to identify place names that have changed to another language.

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
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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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