'The whole building has to come down,' says owner of fire-ravaged nightclub in Northampton town centre

A massive former nightclub building in Northampton town centre could soon be fully DEMOLISHED and scaffolding removed.

Bridge Street has been partially closed since a massive fire ripped through the former Balloon Bar building in August 2023.

In December, West Northants Council (WNC) obtained a court order compelling the owners of the building, AZ Investments, to make it safe.

AZ Investments started demolition works to make the site safe in February 2024 but have now revealed that the whole building needs to be demolished.

Speaking to Chronicle and Echo on Wednesday (March 20), AZ Investments said: “The guys started on site a couple of weeks ago on the demolition to make the site safe. They’re progressing very well, it looks fantastic. They’ve removed I don’t know how many tonnes of debris of fire damage etc.

“But they’ve had to stop now because the building is unsafe. It’s like dominos, a load of wall and roofs in there that are not safe and by taking one away makes the next one unsafe.

“The professionals have recommended the whole thing needs to come down, the former Fat Cats included, which is what we have planning permission for. It’s not safe anymore.”

AZ Investments say it has sent this report to WNC and are awaiting the go-ahead to demolish the site in its entirety.

The spokesman continued: “The problem is, the longer you leave that structure up as it is, it’s just a hazard to everybody.

“What I’ve said to the council is, if we can start the demolition work, my team will stay on-site, starting works immediately, and within six to eight weeks, that whole scaffolding, that whole site will be clear. How good will that be for Bridge Street? The whole street will be clear.

“It will be a phased approach to take the building down bit by bit but, ultimately, the building has got to come down.

“The good thing is the council agrees and are supportive. Some parts are listed and we need to make sure we do everything properly. Ultimately the court’s decision overrides anything else, as I say, it’s a safety concern now.”

AZ Investments also own the former Fat Cats site which burned down in 2012 and has been surrounded by scaffolding ever since.