BLACKBURN’S flagship One Cathedral Square office block will be pitted against some of the finest new and regenerated buildings in the UK in contest to win a top national architecture award.

As winner of the North West regional prize in commercial property category at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards in May the office block will head to the grand final in London on November 2.

The five-floor ‘Grade A’ office building within Blackburn’s £34million Cathedral Quarter will first compete with 11 other such developments which won their regional titles.

The ceremony will take place Inter Continental London, Park Lane Hotel hosted by BBC Breakfast News and Sport Anchor, Dan Walker.

One Cathedral Square is up against prestige projects St James’s Market in London, Belfast Waterfront Hall, Cardiff’s One Central Square, and The Grand Hotel, Shops and Offices in Birmingham.

The office block, now almost fully-occupied, is the centrepiece of the Cathedral Quarter on Railway Road, a joint development by Blackburn with Darwen Council, Blackburn Cathedral, the government and Maple Grove Developments, part of the Eric Wright Group.

Chairman of the judging panel, Will Rees, director at Rees Straw Chartered Surveyors, said: “The RICS Awards showcase the achievements and community impact of each region’s most inspirational built initiatives and developments."

Andrew Dewhurst of Maple Grove Developments said: “One Cathedral Square was a true collaboration between all those involved and represents seven years of hard work.

“The project has transformed a main gateway into Blackburn and shows how public and private businesses can work together to deliver significant regeneration and benefits for local people.”

Harriet Roberts, manager of Blackburn BID, said: “This is great news for the town. Working in partnership, everyone has achieved so much over recent years and it looks like we are becoming an award winning town. Congratulations to One Cathedral Square.”