A former Harrow Council leader stepped down from his role as chairman of the planning committee due to a potential conflict of interest.

Cllr Sachin Shah resigned after a brief stint heading the committee – for which he did not preside over a single meeting – after acknowledging his job outside the council could make his position “problematic”.

In his register of interests, most recently signed off in November 2020, the Queensbury ward councillor disclosed he works for Curtin and Co, a “specialist consultancy in planning politics and community development”.

The potential conflict of interest was raised by those opposed to a planning application in Stanmore Station car park, and they wrote to Harrow Council chief executive Sean Harriss outlining their concerns.

There was also some confusion at a cabinet meeting earlier this month, where a member of the public, presenting a question related to another planning application in Vaughan Road car park, said it was unclear who was acting as head of the committee.

A spokesperson for Harrow Council said: “Cllr Shah volunteered to take on the [chairmanship] and was appointed to it by the council in December.

“Subsequently Cllr Shah has recognised that his professional career makes undertaking the role problematic and resigned as both chairman and member of the planning committee.

“That decision reflects Cllr Shah’s personal integrity and his commitment to maintaining public confidence in Harrow’s planning system.”

Cllr Shah replaced Cllr Keith Ferry, deputy leader of the council, who had held the position for several years.

Cllr Ferry himself resigned from his role last year due to a conflict of interest given he had been selected to take up a position on the board overseeing Harrow’s major regeneration scheme.

The council spokesperson explained a new committee chairman will be selected “in due course” and, for the time being, vice-chairman Cllr Ghazanfar Ali will oversee planning meetings.