New owners for Fat Cats in Northamptonshire but it is '˜highly unlikely' to be a bar again

A new owner has bought the fire-hit Fat Cats bar in Northampton and hopes to reveal plans for it later in as little as two months' time.

Old Northampton Group, which owns Sazerac and The Old House at Home pub, completed a deal last week for the building, which has been shut since a blaze gutted the upstairs in January 2012.

The company said the scaffolding that has blighted Bridge Street for four years should be gone by the summer and repairs to the damage could begin later this year.

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A spokesman said the company had been chasing the deal for three years. but its Grade II listing had been a major stumbling block.

He said “We’ve been told the building [the former Angel Hotel] is the oldest coaching house in the country and it means we’ve had to work very closely with English Heritage.

“We’ve put two or three different proposals forward.

“At this stage it’s highly unlikely it will be a bar.

“I can say the project we have in mind will be pretty spectacular.

“Talking to business nearby, we know how important this is to Bridge Street.”

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The Bridge Street premises has been shut since January 2, 2012 when a fire, later found to have been started accidentally by roofers, ripped through the former Angel Hotel building.

Balloon Bar, the other occupier of the building, has since reopened.