For Fylde Council says two major events WILL go ahead as planned on Lytham Green, despite a legal challenge over the ownership of the famous seafront swathe.

Organisers of April's St George's Day Festival feared that they may have to cancel their three-day patriotic showcase after Lytham St Annes Civic Society, Lytham Enterprise Group and Defend Lytham sent a solicitor's letter to Fylde Council questioning its right to stage events on the Green.

But having held showdown talks with council bosses within the last week, organisers have told the Express they are now confident that the festival will definitely go ahead, despite the legal challenge.

A Fylde Council spokesperson said: "Our legal team are looking closely at it. We believe we are within our rights to go ahead the festival. However we will continue to look into the challenge and take any advice from our legal team accordingly."

Town Hall tourism bosses are determined to push ahead with the St George's Day event and also with Lytham Proms 2010, on August 21.

Coun Albert Pounder, portfolio holder for economic wellbeing, said: "I am convinced that the right course of action for Fylde is to go ahead with these events. I am pleased that other people see it that way. Events like this will benefit Fylde socially and economically and I can't understand these objectors.

"They have said publicly that they object to the commercialisation of events – but no such events have been arranged. We have said that all events and all stalls for such events will be checked very, very carefully and Fylde can only win from such arrangements."

Emma Cornah, of the St George's Day Festival Committee, said: "We were shocked when we thought that this year's festival may be jeopardised, many hours of preparation have already been expended and it is unlikely that we would have been able to change venues at this late date.

"Happily we can now move forward and continue our preparations for what promises to be a bigger and better event than last year. Our positioning on the green will bring the festival into the heart of Lytham, will be of benefit to the town and traders and, we feel, act as a real showcase for a town that we are all proud to be part of."

The legal challenge centres on the terms of a 1923 deed in which the Squire of Lytham John Talbot Clifton imposed a number of conditions on the green's use, which included a ban on building or selling.

The solicitor's letter asserts that the legal ownership of the council is limited to being that of a charity trustee and not an absolute owner.

It says that staging commercial events is in breach of the Clifton's gift and the council should register Lytham Green as a charity.