The strict rules for naming Manchester's streets - what you can and can't do

It's one of Manchester's most sought after streets, but residents felt its original name just had to go. Anita Street is a rare example of pristine terraced housing still surviving in Manchester city centre - a place better known for its boom in luxury apartments these days.

But, when it was built, Anita Street was unique for a different reason. These two neat rows of Victorian terraces in Ancoats were not originally built to be pretty or pristine, but to save lives.

In response to Manchester's notorious 19th century slum housing crisis, city leaders built some of the first examples of social housing in the country. First came Victoria Square, an 800-person block of tenements that boasted communal laundries and ventilated food stores for everyone.

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But with only a single toilet for every two apartments and high rents, the estate initially remained partly empty. Determined to plough ahead, three years later Sanitary Street was built.

These two rows of tenement homes were a step up again, each having their own toilet and sink. Fast forward to the mid-1960s and Sanitary Street was becoming a sought after community close to the developing city centre, but there was a problem, the connotations behind its name meant residents wanted a name change.

According to Manchester City Council's current policy, re-naming streets is something that should be avoided due to costs and disruption it can cause to residents. A name change is normally only considered when a major change occurs, such as the inclusion of a new development causing confusion with existing street