Plans for a 20-storey tower block have come under fire as a London Assembly member has urged the Mayor of London to refuse planning permission.

Navin Shah, the Greater London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow, has written to the Mayor Boris Johnson to urge him to refuse a planning application for the former Post Office site in College Road, Harrow.

In June, Harrow council’s planning committee approved the plans for 318 homes, which will be spread across three buildings of up to 20-storeys in height.

Also included in the plans is a community library along with outdoor space, however some have voiced their objection to the development.

Mr Shah said: “I've asked the Mayor of London, who has the final authority under Stage II planning process, to refuse the planning permission for the unsightly and unacceptable tower block approved by the Council.

“As a member of planning committee on London Assembly I'm campaigning to have a professional and robust scrutiny of tall buildings like the one proposed in Harrow to protect and enhance our built environment.

“I also believe that the shockingly low level of affordable housing and lack of Harrow on the Hill Station improvements including step- free access are unacceptable.”

The application has now been referred to the Greater London Authority for Stage 2 consultation. The GLA can either approve it, or take over the application and reject it.

All applications over a certain size, of which College Road meets the threshold, are automatically referred to the GLA.

The GLA have already agreed to Stage 1 of the proposal.

Mr Shah’s letter explains his concerns with the proposals, including its “inappropriate” height and the lack of improvements to public transport links in the area.

He adds that a provision of 51 affordable homes, equivalent to 16 per cent of the development, is “meagre” and “totally unacceptable”.

The letter reads: “In conclusion I urge the Mayor to direct refusal so that the issues raised above are further reviewed and the flaws addressed so that the town centre does end up with a scheme that offers world class architectural design without a tower block; respects the special character of the area; provides sufficient level of affordable housing and takes clear steps to signal start of improvement of the public transport facilities including step-free access.”

A number of members of the public and Harrow organisations have also opposed the development in the past, including the Campaign for a Better Harrow Environment.