 said the old Angel Hotel and Balloon Bar in Bridge Street was unsafe and could not be saved. Part of Bridge Street has been closed since the fire and WNC said it would remain closed while the work was carried out. Traders have told the BBC that the closure was hitting their businesses. WNC said its officials had been talking to the site owner who was making plans for demolition work to take place in a "careful and systematic way to ensure the safety of everyone concerned". WNC said to protect people from the potentially dangerous site, Bridge Street would remain closed to traffic for the foreseeable future. David Smith, WNC's cabinet member for community safety, said: "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." Image caption, The closure of part of Bridge Street will be in place "for the foreseable future" The council said it would liaise with local businesses to minimise the effect on them. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing but the council said the inquiries had been hampered as the building is "potentially unsafe". Follow East of England news on Facebook , Instagram and X . Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830){kind=link}
A historic building in Northampton is to be demolished following a devastating fire two weeks ago.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said the old Angel Hotel and Balloon Bar in Bridge Street was unsafe and could not be saved.
Part of Bridge Street has been closed since the fire and WNC said it would remain closed while the work was carried out.
Traders have told the BBC that the closure was hitting their businesses.
WNC said its officials had been talking to the site owner who was making plans for demolition work to take place in a “careful and systematic way to ensure the safety of everyone concerned”.