Delivery to New Developments With No Street Names

New developments are among the hardest places to deliver to. The houses exist and people live in them, but street names may not have been assigned, plot numbers may follow the developer's plan, and map data may be months behind. Couriers arrive at an empty field on the map while the estate stands right in front of them.

What goes wrong

• The street is unnamed or the name is temporary.
• Plot numbers do not follow the usual pattern.
• The navigation app shows no road, so it routes to the nearest known point.
• Construction traffic and fences block direct access.
• Several phases share the same development name.

What to give instead

1. Development name and phase. Use the name displayed on the entrance sign.
2. Block or plot number. Use the number on the gate or the developer's plan.
3. Nearest fixed landmark. A main road junction, a school or a petrol station is more reliable than a temporary feature; see landmark-based directions.
4. Exact location. Mark the front of your plot on a map.
5. Phone number. The driver may need to call; see why a reachable phone number matters.

Writing the note

"Sunrise Heights, Phase 2, plot 47. Enter from the main road gate next to the filling station. Call on arrival; I will guide you from the gate."

Using a code for the exact point

A UPCS code is generated from coordinates, so it does not depend on whether the street is named or mapped. The code gives the courier a specific 3 m by 3 m cell they can open in a map. It is a complement to the written address and is not an official postcode. See pin-drop delivery locations at checkout for how shops can capture it.

Note that UPCS only works in the 25 supported countries and shows a grid from a high zoom level, so pick the point carefully.

For developers and managers

Estate managers can help residents by publishing a short guide for couriers: entrance, gate procedure, block layout and a contact number for the gate. This links with delivery to gated communities.

Related

For areas where street names may never exist, read delivery in areas without street names.