Bridge Street business owner 'forced' to close takeaway and left feeling 'abandoned' as road closure sage rumbles on

Obaidullah, who owns Grillers in Bridge Street, has had to close his business and go to work for someone else, due to the decreased footfall on the road.

Bridge Street has been closed since a huge fire at the former Fat Cats building in August 2023. Since then, businesses have reported financial struggles, with many moving away from the once-busy town centre street and some closing for good.

Obaidullah said: “I was forced to close my business and now I work for someone else. I couldn’t afford my bills…I have five children and a wife, my youngest is one. It has affected my family. It feels like we have been deserted.

“The council won’t help us. They have damaged business here. Every time you try to contact them you are hung up on…they still make me pay full rent even though my business is closed.

"If you refuse to pay, they take you to court. I don’t want to go to court.”

Obaidullah hopes to reopen Grillers in September.

Playhouse, owned by Revolution, also shut its doors for good on August 12 after experiencing a huge financial loss and decrease in footfall.

An employee at the bar said: “The road closure has affected business and the amount of customers that walk through the door, so they’ve decided to close us down.”

When asked to address the issues raised by Obaidullah, specifically his claims that the council has not provided enough help to businesses, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) issued the below statement.

A spokeswoman for WNC said: “Demolition work is being carried out by the owner of former Balloon Bar in Bridge Street, Northampton, ahead of the tribunal deadline of September 6 to address the safety issues with the building.

“Once the demolition work has been carried out and the area has been made safe again, Bridge Street will be reopened to traffic.

“This is a complex demolition and we have weekly meetings on site so that we can regularly monitor the work, which at present, is on track to meet the deadline.

“Members of our Economic Development team have visited business owners on Bridge Street to provide information on the guidance, support and various grant schemes available to them and we would encourage those that would like to find out more to email [email protected] or visit our website.

“In addition to this, businesses experiencing financial hardship due to the road closure may be eligible for hardship relief to remit or reduce some business rates. Ratepayers can contact the Council to found out more about the qualifying criteria.

“We would like to thank all businesses, residents and road users for their patience during this time.”