A landmark seafront building once branded an eyesore has been shortlisted for a heritage award following a facelift.

Seven-storey Regents Court at the Marina, St Leonards, has undergone a radical makeover with a £325,000 conservation grant.

Its owner, Alan Dowling, carried out major refurbishment and renovation work to transform it from an eyesore into a landmark property.

The council has been cracking down on rundown seafront buildings through its Grotbuster scheme.

Once an architectural gem, Regents Court gradually slid into decline and in 1999 an enforcement notice was sent to its original owners.

A joint funding scheme between the borough council and the Heritage Lottery Fund secured £325,000 to pay for roof and front facade repairs.

Now Mr Dowling has been nominated for a Sussex Heritage Trust award.

Previous winners have included the Brighton Dome and Battle Museum.

Council leader Jeremy Birch said: "It is great for the town one of its buildings has been highlighted for these prestigious awards.

"The Dowlings and the council's team deserve to be commended for their achievements and we can now be proud of our seafront."

Council bosses have hailed the success of the Grotbusters scheme, which has been highlighted as an example for other authorities to follow.

Mr Birch added: "This building was a real blot on the landscape and gave a negative impression of the town to anyone driving along the seafront.

"The Grotbusters scheme has been a great success and there are plenty more projects in the pipeline." Under the scheme, warnings are issued to owners and, if ignored, enforcement action can be taken under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, including compulsory purchasing.

Grants are sometimes available to fund the refurbishment and renovation work.

Mr Birch said: "This campaign is going from strength to strength. I'm pleased that our message is clear - we won't tolerate eyesore buildings.

"We've already demonstrated our hardline policy gets results. It's so important to shoppers, residents and visitors, and businesses in general.

"We can't allow any buildings to spoil the appearance of this key area.

"We've been successful in improving the seafront, Old Town and Bohemia and I'm pleased we're continuing in our campaign to get the whole town looking the way it should."

Mr Dowling, owner of Kensington Portfolios, said: "This project has been hugely successful and we have already let out most of the flats.

"We promised a West End-style property and that's just what we've got."