A long-awaited student flats complex is still unable to open – a decade after construction started.

Deakin's Yard in Newcastle-under-Lyme was finally due to open last year, but this was halted just weeks before the start of the academic year due to alleged building regulation breaches.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) secured a High Court injunction to stop Deakin's Yard's 273 flats being occupied in August 2025.

More than a year later, the injunction remains in place and the BSR's investigation into the alleged breaches is still continuing.

This means that building owner Integritas Property Group (IPG) has been unable to open Deakin's Yard in time for the new academic year at Keele University.

The regulator says that IPG has been unable to provide the necessary technical evidence to demonstrate compliance with building regulations.

This is the latest in a series of problems to hit the project since construction started on the old Jubilee Baths site in 2016.

It is not known when Deakin's Yard will open, and IPG says the timescale is 'outside our direct control'.

A BSR spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the High Court injunction is still in place and the investigation into alleged breaches of building regulations is still ongoing.

"Separately, we are actively engaging with Integritas Property Group (IPG) Limited, to progress their resubmitted gateway two building control application for Deakin's Yard, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

"This current engagement follows BSR's rejection of a transitional building control application in March 2026 and the subsequent receipt of a resubmitted gateway two application in May 2026.

"BSR's objective for this, and any building control application, is to ensure that progression to gateway two approval and subsequent gateway three completion certificates require evidence of compliance with all building regulations, particularly structural and fire safety standards."

Deakin's Yard, formerly known as the Sky Building, was originally meant to open in 2017, but work ground to a halt after the original developer ran out of money.

Subsequent attempts to restart the project stalled due to disputes with investors, and the unfinished building stood as an eyesore on the edge of the town centre for several years.

IPG took over the building in 2023 and the company announced that construction had finally been completed last summer.

But the High Court injunction meant that scores of students suddenly had to find alternative accommodation just before the start of the academic year.

In May of this year, the company said it was still expecting to open in time for the 2026/27 academic year.

A spokesperson for IPG said: "Deakin's Yard is currently progressing through the Building Safety Regulator approval process.

"The project team is working collectively with the BSR and our professional advisers to address the remaining information requests and achieve sign-off as soon as possible.

"The timescale is ultimately outside our direct control, and the building will not open until the required approvals are in place.

"Our priority is to complete the process properly and safely, and we will provide a further update on the opening once there is a confirmed regulatory timetable."