Sefton Council’s planning committee will decide the future of the terrace at Suzie’s restaurant in Churchtown on Wednesday, after officers recommended refusal. The restaurant, which opened in November on the corner of Cambridge Road and Manor Road, has warned it could go out of business if forced to remove the awning covering its wraparound terrace.
Planning breach and conservation area concerns
The council ordered Suzie’s to remove the awning because it was installed without planning permission. A retrospective application was also rejected, with the council stating the awning did not fit the character of the Churchtown Conservation Area. Now, the planning committee will debate a recommendation to refuse a part-retrospective application for a single-storey extension accommodating the terrace.
The council’s report says: “The application is alternative to a recent application for similar development which was refused in March 2026 and which is the subject of a live appeal. The key issues relate to the impact on the living conditions of neighbouring properties, the character and appearance of the Churchtown Conservation Area and highway safety.”
Impact on neighbours and character
The report adds that the extension creates a harmful impact on neighbouring properties and neither preserves nor enhances the conservation area. Permission was granted in 2024 for a single-storey extension fronting Manor Road, with outdoor seating. However, the constructed extension nearly doubles the floorspace approved in 2024 and increases the number of covers. Concerns have been raised by local residents about additional noise, disturbance, and on-street parking.
The report states: “The covered and permanent nature of the extension provides opportunity for use by a significantly increased number of clients all year round regardless of weather conditions. This together with the increased opening hours is considered to create a more intensive use of the site particularly in relation to noise and disturbance.”
Restaurant’s response and community support
Suzie’s general manager Cara Quinn said: “I would say 90% of our customers request to sit in the terrace area, because it’s so lovely. In the winter, it’s really cosy, in the summer, we just take the roof off, the sides come all the way down and you’re basically outside.” She noted the restaurant supports local charities and hosts events like craft mornings on the terrace, often only possible due to the awning.
Quinn added: “Before we opened, the building was closed for approximately two years, and it was just empty. I feel like we’ve enhanced this part of Churchtown with how we’ve decorated. It’s thriving, there are always people there. We are bringing a lot of people out of town, coming from Liverpool, Preston and anywhere in between just to dine here at Suzie’s.” She said the restaurant employs around 35 staff and warned: “If we had to get rid of the awning, we would have to let two thirds of them go.”
A petition to retain the terrace has gathered more than 3,000 signatures, and Suzie’s is appealing the planning decision. Quinn said: “I just think it’d be a shame if the awning goes because it has become a lovely little hub. We could potentially close and it would just be another empty building on the corner and would look an eyesore.”
Council’s position
A Sefton Council spokesperson previously said: “This extension was built to the property without planning permission. All building owners are expected to adhere to the same rules and procedures. A retrospective planning application was received to retain this extension, but was refused due to its impact on the character of the Churchtown Conservation Area and the living conditions of local residents. The applicant has since appealed this decision and we are awaiting the outcome.”
