'It's pandering to the lowest common denominator': Anger as Cambridge bans apostrophe from street names

• City council says it is following guidelines of the National Land and Property Gazetteer
• They argue that apostrophes are said to lead to mistakes – particularly among emergency services
• Move criticised by the Cambridge-based Good Grammar Company

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Published: 19:55 EST, 17 January 2014 | Updated: 19:55 EST, 17 January 2014

It is one of our major seats of learning, but Cambridge has been accused of ‘pandering to the lowest denominator’ by abolishing apostrophes from street names.

The city council says it is following guidelines of the National Land and Property Gazetteer, where all new street names are registered, but was criticised by the Cambridge-based Good Grammar Company.

The city council’s street naming policy says that a road called St Paul’s Court would appear in all documentation and nameplates as 'St Pauls Court'.

Cambridge city council is abolishing apostrophes from street names. The council says it is following guidelines of the National Land and Property Gazetteer, where all new street names are registered, but was criticised by the Cambridge-based Good Grammar Company

They argue that apostrophes are said to lead to mistakes – particularly among emergency services.

However, Kathy Salaman, director of GGC, said: ‘Dropping apostrophes is pandering to the lowest denominator and while eradicating them anywhere is dreadful, it is particularly bad to do it in Cambridge.’

She added: 'I know some people think apostrophes are superfluous but we really need them and I think it’s the first step on a slippery slope.

'If councils are getting rid of them, what kind of message does that give out to students at schools?'

But Nick Milne, the city council officer responsible for street naming, said a consultation on the issue had seen only one objection.

He said the policy brought the council into line with the National Land and Property Gazetteer where all new street names are registered.

'We follow guidance from the NLPG and it was decided potential confusion over incorrectly punctuated street names meant we would wouldn’t use punctuation any more,' Mr Milne said.

'Our understanding was that many data users including the emergency services make no reference at all as to whether an apostrophe is used or not.'

The naming policy also bans street names which would be 'difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell' and any which 'could give offence' or would 'encourage defacing of nameplates'.

Existing street names are not affected by the policy.