During its development in the 1990s the area was initially referred to as "Hollybrook", a more pleasant deviation from the name of Hell Brook, which runs through the area near Littleover Community School and through parts of the Heatherton estate.

The area is situated off the A5250, three miles south-west of the Derby city centre, with easy access to Burton and Birmingham via the A38 and to the M1 via the A50.

The majority of the Heatherton development is highly sought-after property, and has been popular among professional footballers. During Derby County F.C.'s first stint in the Premiership from 1996 to 2002, Heatherton was home to Fabrizio Ravanelli. Other players who have lived there include Christian Dailly, Giles Barnes and Mart Poom.

Griffe Field Primary School lies within the estate on Grosvenor Drive, built as a part of the initial development by Birch plc (since acquired by Edinburgh-based Miller Homes) but since expanded to double its original size early in the 2000s.

There is a small shopping arcade on Hollybrook Way, at the south-western entrance to the estate,^[1] across the road from the Haven Church, the Hollybrook pub and a doctor's surgery. An Aldi supermarket was opened on a greenfield site adjacent to the Hollybrook pub in 2022.

Since the late 1990s, Heatherton has been served by a bus route operated by Trent Barton, known as "The Harlequin". It circles the estate and runs to a terminus on Gower Street in Derby's city centre during daytime from Monday to Saturday.