A TREASURED 150-year-old tree has been given a stay of execution after Southend Council delayed a decision on its future.

Southend environmental campaigners held a protest outside the Civic Centre yesterday in an effort to safeguard the tree - affectionately named Chester.

The protest came as Southend Council’s development control committee met to discuss a tree preservation order on the tree which officers had recommended for refusal.

The council has now deferred the decision to a later meeting, promising that Chester will be unharmed until analysis of the impact of the tree, in Chichester Road, on health and safety is performed.

Shoebury resident Tim Fransen, who submitted the order, commissioned an independent assessment on Chester’s impact, which he believes forced the council to stop and consider the breadth of their argument.

Mr Fransen said: “I am pleased this has been deferred and will be looked at properly and not just rushed through.

“Nothing can happen to Chester, he is safe for now.

“There is a temporary moratorium on him and it was agreed at the start of the meeting that no one can touch him until a future meeting is had.

“Chester is in great condition and is a significant member of our community, he has survived two world wars and is still standing.

“It was well worth a struggle over the weekend and bank holiday to stall this, other activists pulled in and we submitted a 47-page document including a rival assessment of the tree’s impact.”

Chester was initially threatened by refused developments to build a 14-storey block of flats on the old Churchill’s diner, which would have seen the tree felled to make space.

Southend Tree Action Group member, Katy Treverton, said: “This was a good result, it is a huge breath of relief and we have now loaded the council with information to save Chester.

“We had a small group protesting outside the Civic Centre and we are keeping an eye on anything related to Chester.

“We need to a do a lot, a lot of people care about this tree.”