The developer of a long-awaited student flat complex says it will not be ready in time for the start of the new academic year next month.

Integritas Property Group is asking for permission to temporarily use Deakin's Yard – formerly known as the Sky Building – as serviced apartments for a year, before it is offered to students from September 2025.

The company took on the much-delayed project in Newcastle town centre last year, and was aiming to have the seven-storey building completed in time for the new student intake in September. But according to a new planning application submitted to Newcastle Borough Council, Integritas has been unable to meet this deadline, with construction work still continuing.

The company is therefore asking for a temporary variation to a planning condition which restricts the building to students, to allow its 273 flats to be offered to the general public until it reverts back to student accommodation next September.

The developer was aiming to have the seven-storey building completed in time for the new student intake next month (Newcastle Borough Council).

The application states: "These proposals do not seek to permanently change the use of the site but simply allow for the temporary use of the building as serviced apartments for a period of approximately one year. The reason for requesting this variation is due to the delayed construction of the development which has unfortunately meant that the applicant has been unable to accept students in the September 2024 student intake. The site is therefore unable to operate as student accommodation until September 2025 at the earliest."

The application says that using the flats as serviced apartments would 'significantly improve the current housing offer' in the area, albeit on a temporary basis.

Planning permission for the Sky Building, on the former site of the Jubilee Pool, was granted in 2017, but work ground to a halt after the original developer ran out of money. The building then stood as a half-finished eyesore for several years, until it was taken on by Integritas.

As recently as June, the company was saying that the project was 'progressing well' and remained on schedule. In July, the borough council approved plans to replace brickwork with cladding on parts of the building's exterior, to allow it to be completed on time.

IPG says it has faced a 'race against time' to complete the building work after taking on the project 10 months ago. The scaffolding is expected to come down in the coming days, and with the building due to be 'fully operational' by the end of September

Mitchell Walsh, founder and CEO of Integritas Property Group, said: "We are incredibly grateful and proud of our contractors who have made this rapid turnaround possible.

"We'd like to thank them for all their hard work and commitment. We have removed an eyesore and replaced it with a dynamic, state-of-the-art development that will enhance the community for years to come."

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