Demolition teams FINALLY move into Bridge Street as a historic Northampton landmark ravaged by fire starts to come down

Workers from a specialist demolition team moved onto the site on Monday to begin taking down the ruins left from several major fires over the years.

It is expected to take around eight weeks before the road can reopen before work will then begin on building flats in its place.

More than 12 years on, the move marks a huge step forward to getting the notorious street back to some kind of normal state and it will finally be free of scaffolding.

The historic former Angel Hotel building – encompassing Fat Cats Cafe Bar and Balloon Bar – first went up in flames in January 2012 after a fire was accidentally started by a roofer's torch.

The Fat Cats part of the building, built in 1814-16, has been held up by eyesore scaffolding ever since.

Following the 2012 blaze, Fat Cats never opened again but Balloon Bar reopened in July 2013, later closing down for good in 2019.

The owner applicant, A Z Investments, submitted plans in April 2022 to part-demolish and convert the Grade II listed building into 43 flats. The plans were approved by West Northants Council (WNC) last year.

On the evening of August 22 2023, the derelict building once again went up in flames. This time it was Balloon Bar that was on fire.

A cause of the fire was never found, according to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue.

On May 31 2024 firefighters were once again called to the site to find Fat Cats on fire again with seven crews needed to tackle the blaze.

On June 4 Northamptonshire Police launched an arson investigation in connection with the third blaze with firefighters saying it is 'believed the most likely cause was deliberate ignition'.

Complex legal proceedings have been ongoing, while Bridge Street has remained closed to traffic in the latter months.

Speaking to the Chron, a spokesman for AZ Investments, which owns the site, said: “We are working positively with the council and stakeholders to quickly complete the works and open the road. Our main priority however is safety – taking the building down in a safe manner which is obviously a very complicated process.

"We appreciate the patience of the public and will keep you all updated in due course. The main thing the road will be open in eight weeks if not sooner.”

AZ Investments, which own several venues across town, said the approved planning application from 2022 will now need to be tweaked. Thereafter, building work on the flats can ‘immediately’ begin after the demolition.

It is envisaged the total build will take around 18-24 months, with the flats due to be complete around the summer of 2026.

AZ Investments told the Chron the numerous fires at the property have had a severe financial impact on the company. There have been many reports of break-ins at the huge site as well as various people said to be ‘living’ within the buildings over the last 12 years.

Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service continue to investigate.

Despite the buildings being listed, the damage from the fires has overriden that status.

The AZ spokesman said: “Fire damage means safety is more important than listed status. The building is unsafe and must be taken down which is a priority.”

He confirmed there is nothing significant left of the building that can be preserved.

Cllr Phil Larratt, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport: “The issues created by the recent fires have had a negative impact on the area, the businesses and users of Bridge Street which has had a knock on effect to the surrounding areas.

"We are mindful of the poor state of repair that Derngate and St John’s Street are in and have been unable to carry out repair works on these due to the closure of Bridge Street, so it is good news that the demolition of the building has started.

"Once Bridge Street is open, we’ll be able to move ahead and repair these roads that are of great concern to our residents. We will continue to ensure that, within our designated powers, we are working closely with the owner and the contractors, to get the road reopened as quickly as possible and that businesses are kept informed.”