Author
Doaa Kurdi
Updated
2020-12-30
USRN stands for Unique Street Reference Number. It is a unique 8 digit number which identifies each street in Great Britain.
Each local authority is provided a USRN range, that is centrally allocated and managed by GeoPlace. Local authorities assign USRNs for each street and address record in their area.
How is it used
The USRN plays a key role in uniquely and consistently identifying UK streets across a number of national datasets. This facilitates activities such as:
- Urban planning and property development
- Planning and organistion of street maintenance
- Data exchange between government bodies
Who might need USRN Data?
Highways authorities and utility companies may need to have information on road networks and maintenance taking place. For the public, this means less traffic congestion, increased safety and lower levels of disruption to road users.
Local and central government bodies may also require USRN data. Organisations and councils can exchange records and match data between different systems. This allows them to streamline services and improve the quality of their data.
Emergency services can use the data to accurately identify properties and provide help exactly where needed. They will be able to reduce response times and save more lives.
USRN also opens opportunities for innovation in the Proptech industry. Property developers can correctly pinpoint sites, and develop a better planning system. Agents can easily assemble this data, identify the planning stages and any issues that may affect the letting.
Other sectors such as transport, insurance and logistics providers may find USRN useful.
How it differs from UDPRN and UPRN
UDPRN stands for Unique Delivery Point Reference Number and is a unique code used to identify a delivery point (i.e. premise) in PAF. Read more on our UDPRN guide.
UPRN stands for Unique Property Reference Number. It is a unique identifier for every address location. Read more on our UPRN guide.