The British government attempted to recreate the UK Postcode Address File (PAF) without using Royal Mail data, resulting in a new dataset that was only 90.8% accurate with millions of dud addresses. The process involved filtering through the messy National Address Gazetteer (NAG) and manually fixing errors. While the government allocated funds to develop an authoritative address register, the study concludes that recreating the PAF without Royal Mail data is challenging, time-consuming, expensive, and legally restricted in using postcodes. The only viable solution presented is for the government to reclaim control of the PAF to unlock opportunities for growth and innovation.
https://takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/secret-paf-report