The development site occupies a sub-rectangular plot of land on the west side of Main Street, near to the centre of the village and north of Thoroton Farm. There is a pond in the northeast corner of the site and the remainder of the site is a grass field. The site lies within the Thoroton Conservation Area, which is based around the historic core of the village and was originally designated in 1974. Groundworks were monitored over a single day. The works were undertaken using a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless ditching bucket, by removing the topsoil and subsoil to the required ground level in spits no greater than 0.1m in depth. The excavation of the footing for Plot 1/2 were completed however during the groundworks for plot 2/3 a power line was damaged and the excavation ceased. This scheme of works has shown that on the road frontage there is activity of a probable 20th century date in the form of a brick culvert and a single undated tree bole in garage plot 1/2, reflecting the former use of the site as an orchard.