Is it all right to work through lists of named areas in local government development plans? I recently found a district centre from the London Plan (http://www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan/policies/3d-01.jsp) missing.
I’d suggest (I’m not a lawyer) that if it’s a public document then it’s “fair game” - anyone can go see it at City Hall - even take away copies of the plans, it’s probably already been published in the local press too.
Even if its a public document, it is almost certainly still copyrighted. And if it includes any maps, they are probably from the OS so also copyrighted.
Though what exactly do you mean by “work through lists of named areas”?
If you have a list of placenames, and check which ones are on OSM, then go out and survey any that are missing (getting the names from road signs etc), I think that’s fine.
But if you have a list of placenames and coordinates, or a map of some sort, and you just copy the names and locations straight into OSM that’s not OK.
Clarifying - I meant it’s “fair game” to use the information to relate to the situation on the ground - not to copy a map or plan (at all) - after all it’s information you could otherwise glean by knocking on someone’s door that lives there and asking them to confirm their address.
I am finding suburb names a bit unpredictable; IÂ’ve noticed some missing, others such as Worton and Woodlands in Hounslow could do with a reference for the name. I suspect the smaller suburbs (possibly along with hamlets) could be prime Easter egg territory and IÂ’m looking for a suitable source. Maybe NPTG is what IÂ’m looking for.