Residents of Haddenham's Slave Hill asked if they want to change the street's name in wake of Black Lives Matter demonstrations

Residents of Haddenham's Slave Hill are to be asked whether they support the town council changing its name.

In light of the recent Black Lives Matter Campaign Haddenham Parish Council and Buckinghamshire Council were approached by village residents concerned that the street name is inappropriate and asking about the origins of the name.

The parish council says that homes in Slave Hill date back to the 1970s, and records show that at the time of naming the street, a councillor recalled that the field on which the houses were to be built was locally known as Slave Hill because the field was hard to work due to the large number of stones on the site.

A spokesperson for the parish council, said: “In the years since the houses were built, many have puzzled over the use of the name, and to some it has never seemed appropriate. Now Buckinghamshire Council has decided to give the residents who live there the opportunity to decide whether to change the name. This is something that is rarely done and needs careful consideration, particularly having regard to the costs and inconvenience caused.

“The parish council has been asked to come up with a new name that could be used instead of Slave Hill, so we asked local historian Alan Rose to take a look at the 1820 map of the village which shows the local allotments and furlongs. This map has been the reference for several new street names in recent years.

The land on which Slave Hill was built partially falls within Shipton Furlong, so at HPC’s planning committee meeting held on Monday June 29 it was agreed to propose this as the new name. Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed that it will offer a single alternative name, has checked the Aylesbury Vale street name records to ensure there would be no confusion with any existing names, and confirmed that the name is acceptable."

All owners of Slave Hill properties have received a letter from Buckinghamshire Council explaining the proposal and the process required for changing the street name.

If 20 per cent or fewer object to the change then the legal process through a Section 18 notice can start.

The process is expected to take around two months, and, if agreed, the name would be changed in September, at which point the new street name plates would be ordered to replace the old ones.