Stratton based his design on Garden City guidelines, popular at the time. This envisaged a self contained community adjacent to large green spaces, in this case Inch Park. As well as preserving as many existing trees as possible many new trees were planted. Vistas were also important in the design so that from the site there are views to the east of Craigmillar Castle and to the south and west views of Blackford Hill and the Pentland Hills. The design included local amenities like schools and churches and shops.