A petition to stop plans that would renovate the Battle of Britain RAF Chapel at Biggin Hill airport has been taken to the Houses of Parliament following the backing of thousands of signatures.

Bromley Council gave the green light for the construction of a Memorial Museum earlier this year, and the project was given a £2m boost from the Heritage Lottery meaning the £5.325m project can go-ahead.

A group has since campaigned against the decision with a petition to “protect” the chapel getting more than 18,000 signatures towards a 20,000 goal.

The campaign’s creator, Rita Radford, and a group of 15 other activists took the petition to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Brady.

Ms Radford said: “We started this because we could see a great amount of voices that were not getting to the surface.

“It has been a whirlwind. We started it and were aiming for 100 signatures, then our target was 15,000 and we actually hit 17,000 as we were on our way to Parliament.

“It’s about focusing the effort towards the powers that be.”

The museum plans, which are supported by Historic England, include the removal of the side annex constructed in 1990, with the Museum providing a visual frame around the chapel.

A spokesman for Biggin Hill Airport said: “A museum commemorating those that served and lived in Biggin Hill throughout its celebrated history has been long awaited with many well-meaning groups striving to deliver it.

“The London Borough of Bromley backed project not only delivers the museum but secures the financial future of the RAF Chapel for future generations.”

A spokesman for the council said: "The Council considers the petition to be misleading because it infers that the Chapel is at risk, when this project will in fact achieve quite the opposite – a secure long term future for the historic building and the heritage is represents. In addition the petition covers a number of issues and therefore it is unclear on what basis petitioners are objecting. The project team has been approached during the past few months by people who have said that they have signed the petition, however on being provided with corrected information they have realised that they have signed on the basis of a misunderstanding.

"The new Museum building will visually frame the Chapel in the style of a garden wall or cloister, in reverence to and protecting the historic Chapel. Whilst design preference is subjective, the plans are supported by experts in the field who are familiar with the project details, including Historic England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, who described the project as ‘exemplary".