THE controversial regeneration of St Annes town centre has caught the eye of judges in a national environmental competition.

St Annes has been shortlisted as one of seven finalists in the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) awards and a judge visited the town yesterday (Wednesday) to assess the merits of the Square's new-look.

Fylde Council's head of regeneration unit, Paul Drinnan, said he was delighted St Annes had reached the final seven, particularly as reaction to the Square's new-look had not always been positive. "The scheme has been subject to some debate in the town, so it's interesting to hear what outsiders think of the developments," he said.

"We put the entry in and heard nothing and then out of the blue a phone call came telling us we'd been named for the shortlist.

"These competitions attract maybe hundreds of entries and we have got down to the last seven. It's nice that we are being recognised," he said.