Major road in Northampton town centre fully reopens after years of fire-related chaos
A major road in Northampton has finally reopened following years of chaos caused by multiple fires.
Bridge Street reopened to traffic in both directions on Sunday, September 8, after the fire-ravaged former Fat Cats Cafe and Balloon Bar buildings were completely demolished and made safe on Friday, September 6.
Earlier this year, the First Tier Tribunal gave the landowner, AZ Investments, until September 6 to complete the work, making the area safe and allowing the road to reopen.
Councillor Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to everyone for their patience while this extended closure has been in place. I know how frustrating it has been for everyone, though now Bridge Street has reopened it allows us to return traffic flows to their original state. It will also allow us to start scheduling repairs to roads which might have had to wait while the closure remained in place.”
Members of the council’s Economic Development team have reportedly visited business owners on Bridge Street to provide information on the guidance, support, and various grant schemes available to them.
In addition to this, businesses experiencing financial hardship due to the road closure might be eligible for hardship relief to remit or reduce some business rates, according to the council. Ratepayers can contact the council to find out more about the qualifying criteria.
Councillor Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said: “We know businesses have really felt this closure and we’re doing what we can to help. It’s been a long road to get us to this point and I’d like to thank all of those who have worked so hard to ensure this work was completed by the deadline.”
Some demolition work remains to be done on the wider site.
The building’s owners, AZ Investments, told the Chron last week: “It was quite emotional seeing it all down. I got a bit emotional. I bought the site because it was impacting my other businesses in the town. I’m glad it’s progressing, and it’s one less problem in the town centre. Hopefully, this will now help other businesses in the town develop.”
The remaining businesses in the area will be delighted that the road has reopened after years of chaos, which has inevitably impacted business.
Mark Mullen, operations manager at Northampton Town Centre BID, said: “We are delighted to see Bridge Street back open to traffic after what has been an extremely challenging and frustrating period. It’s excellent news for all those businesses whose trade has been impacted over recent months and we would urge everyone to support them and help them get back up and running.”
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, constructed between 1814-16, had been held up by eyesore scaffolding ever since.
Following the 2012 blaze, Fat Cats never reopened, but Balloon Bar did in July 2013, later closing down for good in 2019.
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.' The owner believes the building was often frequented by homeless people, despite their best efforts to keep the building secure.
In April 2022, the owners submitted plans to part-demolish and convert the Grade II listed building into 43 flats. The plans were approved by West Northants Council (WNC) in 2023.
AZ Investments added: “We hope to start work on the development later this year to build the apartments. It’s a two-year development. It’s not overnight, but hopefully, people will be able to see progress.”
The total build is expected to take around 18-24 months, with the flats due for completion around the summer of 2026. According to AZ Investments, Bridge Street will not be affected by this construction, other than possibly the pavement. Angel Street will be more affected.