A plan to dig a £1.7bn road tunnel near Stonehenge has been approved by the Transport Secretary.

The A303, a popular route for motorists travelling to and from the south west, runs within a few hundred metres of the world heritage site.

The decision to build a two-mile (3.2km) tunnel out of sight of the monument goes against the recommendations of planning officials.

The Planning Inspectorate had recommended Transport Secretary Grant Shapps withhold consent, warning it would cause "permanent, irreversible harm" to the World Heritage site.

But the Department for Transport wrote to Highways England stating: "The Secretary of State is satisfied that, on balance, the need case for the development together with the other benefits identified outweigh any harm."

The risk of damaging one of our most iconic English Heritage sites is not an acceptable risk. This must be opposed, these are also very sacred grounds with the potential for further historical discoveries.

The Stonehenge area should remain a celebration of history and not be turned into another commute area. 

if you agree with this, please sign the petition today and let’s get a debate raised in the House of Commons to oppose this terrible idea.