Plans for £26m tech institute at Bletchley Park

The project hopes to transform the derelict D Block into an Institute of Technology

Plans have been submitted to develop part of Bletchley Park into a technology school for 1,000 students.

Milton Keynes College is seeking council approval for the £26m development of listed buildings at the codebreaking site in Buckinghamshire.

It hopes to transform the Block D buildings into spaces for seminars, events, student support and a cafe.

The application claims the Institute of Technology would "provide much needed education facilities" to the area.

The three hectare site will be one of 12 Institutes of Technology in the country, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The government hopes the institutes will provide young people a vocational alternative to universities.

Bletchley Park was kept secret until a veteran codebreaker spilled the beans in 1974

Anna McTaggart and Chris Cheuk, of GSS architecture, said in plans submitted to the council: "The Block D Institute of Technology will provide much needed education facilities, enabling people in Milton Keynes and the surrounding area to aspire to higher levels of attainment, in providing skillsets, benefiting local employers and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to start up new business initiatives."

As well redeveloping Block D buildings, the plans propose an extension to the single-storey car park at Bletchley Railways Station to "ensure that sufficient car parking is provided for the site".

Block D was built in 1942-1943 and was used by codebreakers to crack German Enigma codes. The building is currently derelict and has been victim to break-ins and arson, according to reports submitted to the council.

Planners said the redevelopment "will retain as much of the character of the existing building as possible".