Dedicated signage on Rugby development could help save lives in new ground-breaking scheme

The ground-breaking initiative will help people who visit Houlton’s 1,170-acre site to share their location in a range of scenarios, including in emergencies.

What3words is a geocode system that assigns a unique combination of three words to every three metre square of the entire world.

It makes it simple and easy to find a location in all sorts of situations, from navigation to e-commerce and delivery. The system is also used by the emergency services to find casualties or scenes of incidents quickly and easily.

Every location’s What3words can be found by using the app on a mobile device but Urban&Civic, the developer behind the Houlton in Rugby, has now made it even easier for people to pinpoint specific locations around the area by erecting dedicated signage showing specific What3words locations.

Across the development, 29 specially-designed signs have been attached to gates and fences so people can see the What3words for that location. Locations include sites where defibrillators have been placed by local charity the OurJay Foundation, making it easy to find one in an emergency.

Sonia Nakra-Norman, Communications & Partnerships Manager at Urban&Civic, said: “Placemaking is at the heart of what we do and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to ensure Houlton is easy to navigate, both for people who live there and those who visit.

“However, we wanted to take things one step further and ensure anyone who wants to pinpoint their location can do so easily - whether it’s to meet a friend, find a defibrillator, or give their location to emergency services in the event of an accident."