Bletchley Park wartime canteen is a real disgrace, say residents

A disused canteen building at the gates of historic Bletchley Park is nothing but a blot on the landscape, say residents.

They have been complaining for years about the dilapidated and vandalised building, which is at the old Wilton Avenue gateway.

It is owned by Bletchley Park Capital Partners, a company formed to help with the regeneration of the park site.

“We’ve tried numerous times to contact the owners but they don’t answer their phone and don’t respond to our messages,” said one resident.

“We’re sick of looking out on this horrible, boarded-up building. It’s getting more and more derelict and it’s a disgrace to Bletchley Park” she added.

The building is also a magnet for vandals and graffiti artists and has attracted squatters in the past.

The canteen was once used by famous wartime Bletchley Park codebreakers and is said to have a bullet hole in one wall from an attack by a German fighter plane.

This week, after the Citizen contacted Bletchley Park Capital Partners spokesman Tim Reynolds, there was good news for residents.

Mr Reynolds said the canteen would become part of the new National Cyber College planned for G Block at the park. Building work was due to start this week, he said.

Plans for the National Cyber College were announced in November last year. But at the time the focus was on G Block and they did not mention the old canteen.

Bletchley Park Capital Partners spokesman Tim Reynolds this week assured the Citizen that the derelict canteen would be restored as part of the exciting new project.

The plans have “full support” of the police and the local conservation officer, he said.

Bletchley Park Capital Partners ( BPSIC) is a private company formed in 2004 to a play a key role in the resurgence of the Park.

BPSIC has generated £1,822,977 in income for the Bletchley Park Trust to restore old buildings and encourage new businesses.

This is how much BPSCIC has spent on infrastructure and refurbishment, according to its website.

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