A historic tree has been giving a stay of execution after a council decided to get a second opinion on its fate.

A horse chestnut tree on the village green in Lyng became the focus of a campaign after the parish council revealed plans to fell it as it had almost outgrown its environment.

The tree was planted 38 years ago, by villager Sue Maufe and her late husband Tony, to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee and has become a popular sight in the village.

But the parish council was considering felling it over worries it was interfering with power and telephone cables.

After the issue had been raised the council employed a tree surgeon to examine the tree and he recommended it should be cut down.

At a parish council meeting last night, attended by around 30 members of the public, the council decided to liaise with Breckland Council's tree preservation officer to see what can be done.

As the tree is within Lyng's conservation area the district council would have had to grant permission whatever the parish council's decision had been.

At the meeting, parish chairman Camilla Davis said: 'We had a tree survey done and one of the recommendations was that the chestnut tree on the village green be removed as it was too big for the site.

'Since that report there has been a campaign in the village to have the tree not removed but pruned instead.

'If it is pruned I am told it could probably survive for up to 10 years before it would have to be removed as this type of tree isn't meant to be pruned.'

Should the tree be felled it would be replaced and the council was unable to say if the cost of pruning would exceed that of chopping down the tree.

Councillors decided to contact Breckland regarding the matter as its permission would be required in any case.

What do you think? Write to doug.faulkner@archant.co.uk