REDEVELOPMENT of Blackburn's Lord Square has many of the ingredients of a soap opera.

Under the ownership of Standard Life the square was omitted when the rest of the shopping centre and the market were given a facelift.

This resulted in the tattiest bit of the town centre looking even worse in contrast.

The eyesore was highlighted even more when the council completed their long-awaited revamp to transform Church Street into more pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare.

Standard Life's refusal to invest further meant the next owners Reit Asset Management were welcomed when they committed themselves to a £15million redevelopment of the neglected square, secured planning permission and began negotiating to move traders out.

The scheme did have drawbacks. The prospect of one side of Church Street being fronted by the back of shops was one.

Now, just as many were expecting work to start it's back to the drawing board.

New owners The Mall don't seem to like Reit's scheme and are going to take six months looking at what they should do.

There is plenty of room for improvement on those plans. But we have to be rid of Lord Square as it is now - and soon. Inaction is not an option.