CONSERVATIONISTS fear plans to save the remains of an iconic 300-year-old tree which was torn down during the construction of the M11 Link Road could be shelved due to council budget cuts.

A campaign was launched in January last year to preserve what is left of the historic sweet chestnut - which has been lying on George Green since it was felled in 1993 - after its trunk caved in.

The tree was famously occupied by protesters who tried to block the development, and its final demise was covered by national press and TV news.

A proposal to turn part of the chestnut into a sculpture or bench in the grounds of the Corner House (now the Allan Burgess Centre) in Grove Park, along with a plaque commemorating the struggle against the road were put forward by campaigners in January 2009 - but its dilapidated shell remains on the green nearly 18 months later.

Ashley Gunstock, the Green Party's candidate for Wanstead at the general election, said: "Given the budget cuts it's likely the tree has fallen down the council's pecking order.

"It's a symbol of the M11 Link Road protest and is very important to many people in Wanstead.

"It's an historic tree and should be preserved for posterity.

"It's not just so-called 'tree-huggers' who are concerned about this. This concerns people from across the community."

These views were echoed by Julie Falconer, 51, of Gordon Road, who joined the protest against the link road nearly two decades ago.

She said: "The tree is an important part of Wanstead's history and should be treated as such.

"It was on the front page of the national newspapers when they pulled it down. It brought the area unprecedented national attention.

"The council is under extraordinary financial pressure at the moment, and we all appreciate that. But this is of great importance to many people around here.

"There's not much left of it to save, so action needs to be taken soon. It would be tragic if nothing is done."

Fellow former link road protester, Paul Donovan, of Dangan Road, Wanstead, said: "It was a significant time for Wanstead.

"It would be nice to see the tree preserved, or at least some kind of memorial installed to mark what happened there."

Snaresbrook Ward councillor Sue Nolan said: "The tree represents an important period in Wanstead's history and is very important to a lot of people.

"It's going to be a tough year, and there are big pulls on our resources, and obviously our priority is to protect front line services.

"But it would be great to see the tree preserved in some way. It would be interesting to find out people's ideas for what should be done with it.

"We will definitely bring this up with the City of London Corporation (which owns the George Green) when we meet with them in June."

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council - which maintains the green - said: "Redbridge Council will consider a request to help preserve part of the felled sweet chestnut tree trunk at George Green."