The company working with Carlisle United over a possible new stadium was being dissolved before their agreement with the club was extended last year.

Caldew Riverside Developments Limited's formal arrangement with the Blues has now ended after they were unable to bring together a retail development on the city's Viaduct Estate that could have included a new ground.

That saw the end of the latest stage of Project Blue Yonder - the long-running attempt to find a possible new home for United.

It has emerged that formal steps to dissolve the development company - named for the first time by United yesterday - were made on October 6, 2015.

That was a month before a United board meeting formally agreed a request to extend Caldew Riverside's non-disclosure and lock-out agreement for another 12 months, stating their hope for "regular updates" and "tangible progress".

Caldew Riverside was duly dissolved on January 19, with sources close to the company telling the News & Star the company was "allowed to die" as the project was "fizzling out" with little sign of progress.

But that did not mean the end for United's lock-out agreement, which ran to this October, and nor did it prevent the people behind the company from continuing to try and realise the potential project.

"Dormant" companies are sometimes dissolved if the ideas they were set up to explore no longer appear feasible - but they can be quickly restored through an application to Companies House and a fee of just £100.

That option could have been open to Caldew Riverside had the Viaduct development project shown signs of fresh life.

Caldew Riverside Developments Limited was formed in October 2013, believed to be as a structure that could enter into a confidential agreement with United over their part in a possible enabling development.

It was comprised of two directors and shareholders - John Laker and Roger Wilson - and a company secretary, Christopher Delacombe. The company's address is given as 17 Cavendish Square in London.

Mr Delacombe confirmed he was appointed as the company's secretary but was unable to comment on its relationship with Carlisle United.

United's statement yesterday said the developer had been exploring a possible scheme on land to the south west of Viaduct Estate Road, between the river Caldew and the railway viaduct.

Such a development proved elusive, with retailers not committing to the project, last December's flooding and the general financial climate said to be among the reasons it failed.

Chief executive Nigel Clibbens said: “The club’s part in the scheme was reliant on a much bigger and wider development of the site. This has not come to fruition.

“As far as we are concerned, we will continue to monitor the situation but we are no longer party to any formal legal arrangement regarding this particular site.”

The Blues have always said the potential stadium scheme has not come at any cost to the club.

The Carlisle United Official Supporters' Club said in a statement: "As it's been clear for some time that Project Blue Yonder had no legs, we welcome the closure which the club's statement brings to the situation."

United, meanwhile, say they remain "open-minded" on possible future stadium plans when asked if yesterday's news marked the formal end of Project Blue Yonder, which was initially announced five years ago with a plan - since aborted - to relocate to Kingmoor Park.

It has so far not been confirmed whether the club's potential overseas investor had any input into the Viaduct discussions, or whether any plans to redevelop Brunton Park significantly are on the table.

The club have been refurbishing their 107-year-old ground since it was hit by Storm Desmond last December. "The development work we have done post-floods is designed to make sure we have a stadium to be proud of," said United spokesman Andy Hall.