Plans APPROVED to build 47 ‘high-quality’ flats on site of demolished former Grade II listed building in Northampton

Plans to redevelop the former Angel Hotel site in Bridge Street into 47 apartments have been approved by the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) – despite an objection from Northamptonshire Police over security concerns.

The scheme, submitted back in 2022, will see the complete redevelopment of 21–23 Bridge Street, previously a Grade II listed building formerly home to Fat Cats’ Cafe and Balloon Bar, to make way for a residential-led development with commercial units at street level.

The building, most recently damaged by fires in 2023 and 2024, was demolished between July and September 2024 following a court order.

In a planning statement, the applicant said the project aimed to turn the “redundant site that has been extensively compromised as a result of fire” into a “high-quality, sustainable development” delivering 47 apartments, a commercial unit fronting Bridge Street, and an office space on Angel Street.

Previous plans to convert the building into a 60-bedroom hotel, approved in 2019, were scrapped after the Covid pandemic rendered the proposal financially unviable.

The building’s historic frontage, destroyed by fire, will be reconstructed to match previously approved plans, which were designed to echo the former Angel Hotel’s appearance. The reinstated façade will feature elements such as a stained-glass bay window and a stucco finish in “steel blue,” in keeping with the building’s original character and the surrounding conservation area, according to plans.

The apartment mix will include:

• 15 one-bedroom, single-person units

• 22 one-bedroom, two-person units

• Three two-bedroom, three-person units

• Three two-bedroom, four-person units

The applicant, AZ Investments Ltd, confirmed to the Chronicle & Echo that construction is expected to begin in the coming months, with completion targeted for the end 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.

Developers also plan to retain a communal courtyard, accessible from Angel Street, for residents.

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 until it was demolished in the summer of 2024.

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

Despite the council’s decision to greenlight the project, Northamptonshire Police formally objected to the proposal. In comments submitted during consultation, the force said the plans failed to meet certain security standards and lacked sufficient detail on safety measures such as access control, defensible space, CCTV, and secure doors and windows.

“The applicant should be able to demonstrate a layered approach to security,” police said. “This scheme does not show that this will be provided.”

Planning officers acknowledged the objection but said that the development represents a “logical use” for a prominent town centre site in disrepair and said previous consent had already established the principle of redevelopment.

A planning officer said: “Overall, it is considered that the proposal will successfully mix traditional architecture, with replicating elements of the previous building, whilst also incorporating high quality design.”

The Section 106 legal agreement – required to secure local infrastructure contributions – is still under negotiation.