Popular family-run cafe refused planning to extend, leaving them “heartbroken”

Us Four cafe on Marsland Road has had a planning application rejected, after months of campaigning for an extension to the existing building. 

Us Four opened in 2017 © Us Four

The owners were told by councillors earlier this year that Trafford Council was “likely” to refuse planning for a proposed seating area adjacent to the current cafe and so the team embarked on a public appeal to generate local support. 

That resulted in hundreds of letters being submitted to the council, in support of Us Four and its plans. 

However, the planning application was rejected yesterday (14 July), leaving the owners “heartbroken” and unable to understand the reasoning behind the decision. 

Owned by siblings Aaron Nicholas, Lisa O’Connor, Ryan Nicholas and Maria Nicholas, Us Four opened in late 2017 and was transformed into an American-themed coffee house/bar. 

We spoke to the owners following the refusal decision, who said:

“We had zero objections from the public and hundreds of letters in support of our plans. Our plan was to rebuild on the original structure, we aren’t demolishing anything. If the original buildings had not burned down, they would still be there now. 

“The argument from the council seemed to be mainly that did not like the look of it and that it would affect the look of the Grade 2 listed building, but we copied the original buildings and spent months with the architect to make sure they were as similar to the original as possible. We’ve lost so much money and their argument does not seem fair.”

Us Four owners argued that their plans did not alter the footprint of the original buildings © Us Four

According to documents associated with the planning application, Greater Manchester Police were consulted and had concerns including “generating loitering and antisocial behaviour” and “the proposed development will make it difficult for users to view any potential threats before entering, which could leave them vulnerable.” 

Us Four owners hit back at these suggestions, saying, “I cannot understand how a seating area can cause police trouble – that could happen anywhere at any point.

“We just can’t make sense of it.”

The refusal of planning document also states, “The applicant has failed to demonstrate, through the submission of appropriately detailed drawings and technical specifications, that the development will not harm the lime tree adjacent to the proposed development, a tree worthy of Tree Preservation Order (TPO) status given the potential threat to its retention and significant contribution to the character of the area, sited at the bottom of the embankment to the south of the application site. The potential loss of the tree would seriously detract from the character of the area and diminish the biodiversity value of the site.”

If that tree is given a TPO, any future plans are more likely to be refused. 

While the team were given no opportunity to appeal yesterday, they are considering their future options and the cost implications associated with doing so. 

"If we want to try again, we will need to get new plans drawn up, which is so much money again.

"We'd like to thank the local community for all their support, and a special thank you to Brooklands councillor Will Jones, who spoke in support of our plans." 

Since announcing the refusal decision, Us Four has been overwhelmed by public support, with the vast majority (if not all) of the community lambasting it as a “ridiculous decision”. 

💭 Editor’s thought bubble: There is no doubt that Us Four has had a positive impact on the area around Brooklands tram stop since opening. While we fully understand the responsibility of the council to ensure the area isn’t negatively impacted by any works that are proposed, it’s often difficult for the wider community to understand these decisions when there is a seeming lack of consistency.

The council should be doing everything possible to support small businesses at this critical economic time. But is it?