The site slopes down from High Road to Spring Grove by approximately 3 metres and so it is proposed to introduce a lower ground floor level facing the Spring Grove to take advantage of this natural slope, but which will not appear visible from High Road. Additionally, the design seeks to minimise the impact to the adjoining property on Spring Grove by stepping down to two storeys with one storey of residential use above the under-croft car parking.

Although the overall geometry of the proposed development is somewhat dictated by the existing context within Loughton, the proposed building has been orientated to maximise sunlight/ solar gain wherever possible. Single aspect north facing dwellings have been avoided and glazing areas maximized wherever possible.