The National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) is the definitive, centrally managed database of all addresses across England and Wales. It is created by bringing together the individual address records kept by every local authority, each of which is responsible for maintaining its own Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG). The NLPG provides a single, consistent, and authoritative source of address data, and it forms the foundation for the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) system.
Relationship to the UK postcode and geography system
The NLPG sits alongside the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF) within the wider address infrastructure, but it serves a distinct purpose. While the PAF is optimised for postal delivery and is owned by Royal Mail, the NLPG is maintained by local government for civic and administrative purposes. The NLPG assigns a UPRN to every land and property unit, which is a persistent identifier that remains unchanged even if the postal address or postcode changes. The NLPG does not generate postcodes itself; instead, it incorporates the postcode assigned by Royal Mail as one attribute of an address record. This means that the NLPG can be used to link postcodes to precise geographical coordinates and administrative boundaries, such as wards, parishes, and local authority districts, in a way that the PAF alone cannot.
How it relates to postcodes and addresses
Each entry in the NLPG contains a full address, a UPRN, and a postcode, along with its Ordnance Survey grid reference and an indicator of its quality. A single postcode may cover multiple UPRNs, such as in a street of terraced houses or a block of flats. The NLPG allows you to see exactly which UPRNs fall under a given postcode and to verify the official address variant, which can differ from the address people commonly use. For example, a property might have a postcode that aligns with a neighbouring town, but the NLPG will record the correct local authority ward and parish. This is particularly valuable for researchers who need to aggregate data by small geographical areas, because the NLPG provides a reliable link between the postcode and the administrative geography.
Why it matters to someone researching an area
If you are investigating a neighbourhood or a specific development, the NLPG is the most trustworthy source for counting properties and confirming their legal addresses. It underpins much of the data used in property searches, electoral registers, and council tax databases. Without the NLPG, it would be difficult to cross-reference address-based information with mapping or to ensure that every property in a given area has been identified. It also helps in understanding land use and property types, as each gazetteer record includes a classification code. For academic or commercial research into housing, demographics, or service planning, using the NLPG ensures that your address data is complete, accurate, and aligned with official local government records, rather than relying solely on the less flexible Postcode Address File.
- The NLPG is maintained by GeoPlace, a joint venture between the Local Government Association and Ordnance Survey.
- It is the only national address dataset that is directly managed by local authorities, giving it a high level of currency and local knowledge.
- Access to the full NLPG is available to public sector organisations through the Public Sector Mapping Agreement, but commercial users can obtain it via Ordnance Survey’s AddressBase products.
In short, the NLPG is the authoritative spine of the UK’s address geography, giving researchers a stable, geocoded foundation that connects postcodes to the physical land and property they represent.