AN elm tree holding up a £50 million theatre redevelopment scheme will now cost £130,000 to save.

But hard-line councillors said today: "Don't blame us. It must be spared."

We revealed last week that the tree was holding up work on the first stage of the Dome Theatre revamp, expected to make Brighton the arts capital of the South.

But architects were sent back to the drawing board when councillors threw out their request to chop down the 30-year-old tree.

The original estimate to revise the plans was £30,000, but that has now increased five-fold.

And engineers have warned that working around the tree, which stands close to an underground boiler room, will delay the whole project by eight weeks.

Brighton and Hove oouncil leisure chairman Ian Duncan said: "This is the looniest decision I've come across in 15 years of local government.

"Even if we amended the plans, experts believe that the tree would die anyway because of the disturbance."

But Coun Jeane Lepper, chairman of the planning committee, said: "We are sticking to our decision, which was unanimous. We are standing firm.

"This tree should have been brought to our attention on earlier plans. Somebody has cocked up."

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