OS NGD Address
Introduction to the theme
The OS NGD Address Theme provides a complete and definitive view of UK address data. It's designed to underpin a range of analytical use cases and provide the most detailed view of an address and its lifecycle.
The OS NGD Address Theme contains all of the address data found in the OS AddressBase Premium product:
Local Authority addresses
Royal Mail postal addresses
Lifecycle data
Addresses for features that are not conventionally addressable (such as warehouses, car parks, etc.)
Multi-lingual addresses
Alternative addresses
However, the OS NGD Address Theme builds on the AddressBase Premium data by providing data with up to daily currency that is simple to use, understand and interrogate. This makes the data more accessible to non-address experts as it is easy to plug and play it into databases or a GIS (geographic information system).
The theme is interoperable with other OS NGD themes through cross-reference information and the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) as the key identifier, allowing you to easily combine multiple datasets to answer analytical questions.
Address data is collated from Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPG), which are maintained by Local Authorities in England and Wales, and also from Local Authorities in Scotland, who maintain the Corporate Address Gazetteer (CAG). These data sources are supplemented by the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF), references to Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data in England and Wales, and additional addresses and coordinates from Ordnance Survey.
Data structure
The OS NGD Address Theme is made up of the OS NGD GB Address and OS NGD Islands Address Collections, and each collection is comprised of six feature types: Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object, Pre-Build Address, Royal Mail Address and Street Address.
Four of the feature types in each collection (Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object and Pre-Build Address) are supported by the following three related components, which provide supplementary information against each UPRN:
Alternate Address: These provide alternative address labels where they exist for the ‘current’ address represented on a given feature type.
Other Classification: These provide additional VOA classification information.
Related Entity: These contain cross-reference relationship information between addresses and features in other OS NGD themes (such as buildings, sites, roads and boundaries) or third-party data sets.
For more information on the related components, please see the Related Components page.
Data structure diagram
The OS NGD Address Theme data structure diagram below is applicable to the latest data schema versions of all address feature types (i.e. data schema version 3.0 of Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object and Pre-Build Address, and data schema version 1.0 of Royal Mail Address and Street Address):
Superseded data structure diagram for the OS NGD Address Theme
The OS NGD Address Theme data structure diagram below is applicable to the older (maintenance) data schema versions of four of the address feature types (i.e. data schema versions 1.0 and 2.0 of Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object and Pre-Build Address) and to the latest data schema version (1.0) of Street Address:
Postal Address Related Component
Until September 2025, Postal Address Related Component was the fourth related component in the OS NGD. It has been discontinued in the latest data schema version 3.0 of the Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object and Pre-Build Address Feature Types in the GB Address and Islands Address Collections, which released in September 2025.
The Postal Address Related Component contained delivery point data from the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF). This information is now available in the new Royal Mail Address Feature Type (which launched in September 2025), which can be found in the GB Address and Islands Address Collections.
The Postal Address Related Component is still provided against the older (maintenance) data schema versions 1.0 and 2.0 of the Built Address, Historic Address, Non-Addressable Object and Pre-Build Address Feature Types in the GB Address and Islands Address Collections. These data schema versions are available for customers to use, but they are now older and in maintenance mode. (Data schema version 3.0 is the latest and recommended data schema version to use for these feature types.)
Please see Data schema versioning for more information on data schema versioning in the OS NGD.
Unique identifiers
OS unique identifiers
At least one of the following four unique identifiers is provided with each feature within the OS NGD Address Theme:
Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN): The primary identifier and unique key for this theme. A UPRN is a unique and persistent numeric identifier for every addressable location in Great Britain. Each address record has a UPRN, assigned by Local Authorities in England, Wales and Scotland or Ordnance Survey depending on the type of address. Throughout its lifecycle, information on the address of a property can change. This may be due to a change of name, change of use, or the eventual demolition of the property. Independent of any changes being made the UPRN associated to an address is never changed, meaning the unique identifier remains persistent and reliable.
Unique Street Reference Number (USRN): A USRN is a unique and persistent identifier for a street which is curated by Local Authority custodians in England, Wales or Scotland.
OSID (Ordnance Survey Identifier): A primary identifier and unique key used in other OS NGD themes. OSIDs are referenced in the OS NGD Address Theme for purposes of cross-refencing to other themes.
TOID (Topographic Identifier): An additional secondary identifier which can aid further data linking. TOIDs are an optional attribute and therefore will not always be provided with every feature.
PAF unique identifiers
One unique PAF identifier is provided with Royal Mail Address features within the OS NGD Address Theme:
Unique Delivery Point Reference Number (UDPRN): A UDPRN is a unique and persistent identifier that Royal Mail assigns to identify a specific delivery point (for example, a mailbox or business unit). Each UDPRN is an up to 8-character code that can be used instead of the current address keys on PAF.
Useful links
An introductory guide to OS NGD Address data is available on our More than Maps site. This guide details the layers, formats, and attribution available for OS NGD Address data.
Last updated
Was this helpful?