Street names are easy to overlook—until you stop and think about what they carry with them. A bit of history, a nod to a person, sometimes a clue to what stood there before anything else did.
Now, Swindon Borough Council is asking local groups to take a hand in shaping that story.
With new developments continuing across the borough, the council has put out a call to parish councils, community organisations and heritage groups to suggest names for future streets and public spaces. The aim is straightforward enough: make sure new places feel like they belong here, rather than anywhere.
Swindon already has form in this area. More than 3,000 streets across the town reflect its past in one way or another—from engineers tied to the railway works to former players of Swindon Town, and landmarks that have long since disappeared.
Recent developments have taken a more thematic approach. At Wichelstowe, roads in Middle Wichel draw on the canal being built nearby, while parts of West Wichel have leaned into orchard names, with some streets taking their cue from apple varieties native to Wiltshire.
The council is keen to build on that idea, encouraging suggestions that reflect local history, geography and culture—whether that’s a notable figure, a long-forgotten field name or something tied to Swindon’s industrial or agricultural roots.
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky points out that street names tend to outlast most other decisions made during development. They become part of everyday life—written on envelopes, tapped into sat navs, repeated without much thought. Which is precisely why, she argues, they’re worth getting right.
There’s also a practical side. Getting input early helps avoid delays later on, and gives developers a clearer sense of what fits locally. More than that, it’s a chance to root new neighbourhoods in something recognisable from the outset.
Submissions need to come with a short explanation—why the name matters, what it connects to—rather than just a list of suggestions. It’s less about quantity, more about meaning.
The deadline for entries is 31 May. After that, the process of sorting, selecting and—inevitably—debating begins.
Not every suggestion will make the cut. But for those that do, it’s a small way of leaving a mark—quietly built into the map, and likely to stay there for generations.
