Fire-damaged building requires demolition

Due to its condition following the fire on 22 August, the former Balloon Bar in Bridge Street, Northampton, requires demolition.

Due to this, and the resulting need to protect people from the potentially dangerous site, West Northamptonshire Council needs to keep Bridge Street closed to traffic for the foreseeable future. Pedestrians can still use it, though the pavement directly around the site remains closed.

The council is in regular dialogue with the site owner who is making plans for the demolition work to take place. It is vital that this work is carried out in a careful and systematic way to ensure the safety of everyone concerned, including contractors.

An investigation into the cause of the fire continues, but as the building is potentially unsafe it has not yet been possible to determine an exact cause. Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service will continue their investigations where it is safe to do so and will be on site during the demolition.

We will be liaising with businesses in the area to ensure we do all we can to help limit the impact this has on them.

We would clearly prefer not to be in this situation, and we’re extremely sorry to those who continue to be impacted by the closure, but people’s safety must be our first priority.

We’ll continue working with the site owner to ensure the demolition progresses at pace, so we can reopen Bridge Street, but we do not anticipate this being possible for some time.Cllr David Smith, Cabinet member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services at West Northamptonshire Council