North Ayrshire’s planning and local review chair is under investigation after failing to tell a committee he chatted to a neighbour about an application.

Councillors will table a motion of no confidence in Conservative group leader Cllr Tom Marshall at the next full council meeting – after the committee previously upheld a refusal of a two-story extension to a home in Gray Crescent, Irvine in December.

During that meeting, members discussed the identity of a person who claimed to be a “council official” enquiring about the plan.

At last week’s Local Review Body [January 26] Cllr Robert Foster said: “I know we all found that strange, Cllr Barr himself challenged [the applicant] Mr Patterson that council officers wouldn’t behave that way and show ID.

"Mr Patterson has sent through evidence the person asking neighbours questions was Cllr Marshall.

“Taking aside the ethics of the chair of the LRB doing that in the first place I think Cllr Marshall had ample opportunity to tell this committee that it was him that had been speaking to the neighbours.

"I think that’s disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst.”

Cllr Marshall said: “For the record Robert mentions I talked to neighbours plural – that is a misstatement.

"I did attend as the chair of this committee to acquaint myself with the location.

"I was unaware of which house was the applicants as I hadn’t papers with me.

“I saw someone in their garden, I stopped I spoke to him, who was a plasterer working for another neighbour and he introduced me to the neighbour who I spoke to.

"I freely admit I spoke to someone, I asked them if they were aware of the application and did they have a view.

"I subsequently transpired they did have a view and very much in favour of it.

“I believe in terms of the regulations I have behaved properly.

"If it does go to council I will submit a robust defence of that.”