The Mall Limited Partnership has won a prestigious award from the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC), seeing The Mall Blackburn scoop the Refurbishment Award.

Part of the Mall Fund, The Mall Blackburn has undergone a significant refurbishment programme involving the redevelopment of the south east 'Lord Square' corner of the site.

Working in close partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Capital & Regional with Aviva Investors, delivered the 200,000 sq ft Lord Square extension in June last year, revitalising the scheme and feeding in to the wider regeneration of the town centre.

BCSC judges learned that the extension is 99% let and has provided modern and sustainable retail space, attracting retailers such as Primark, Costa Coffee and H&M to the scheme.

The project has also helped boost the centre's footfall, as figures have benefited from a 10.9% year on year rise.

The BCSC Gold Awards seek to recognise excellence in the retail industry, celebrating exemplary shopping centres across the country.

Mark Bourgeois, Managing Director - Shopping Centres at Capital & Regional, said: "To have won such a celebrated accolade is true testament to the hard work and time which has been invested into this scheme and we are delighted to have won it.

"The Mall Blackburn is at the heart of the town centre and we have received a tremendous encouragement and support from the community as we work to strengthen the town's retail presence."

Barry Hill, Fund Manager at Aviva Investors, added: "We've worked very closely with Capital & Regional over the past few years to create a shopping centre that complements the Blackburn community. The redevelopment of the Lord Square has been a tremendous success and the quality of the retailers we've attracted to the centre is evidence of this."