A politician who helped investigate Liverpool's property crisis has been linked to a second stalled site in the city.
Councillor Abdul Qadir was a member of a Liverpool council taskforce set up to investigate buyer-funded property schemes in the city, known as fractional sales. Fractional schemes involved buyers putting down large deposits to finance off-plan apartment schemes.
They attracted huge controversy following the collapse of high profile projects such as New Chinatown. The task and finish committee had a broad remit and also looked at failed property schemes across the city.
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Earlier this month the ECHO revealed links between Cllr Qadir and a stalled site on Vauxhall Road in Vauxhall through his role with the Liverpool-based Vega Group, which owns MV Canal, the subsidiary company behind the scheme.
This was not a fractional sales scheme. The ECHO can now reveal that Cllr Qadir, who is a director of Vega Trading, is linked to a second stalled site in the city, also through his involvement with the Vega Group.
On his register of interests, Cllr Qadir lists the six companies that form the Vega Group, including James Troop Estates (JTE.)
JTE bought a large plot of land off Sefton Street near the city centre for £475,000 in 2011.
The company has not submitted plans to develop the 1.15 acre site over the past decade.
A local man said: "The site is an eyesore on one of the main routes into the city. What is going on."
Cllr Qadir stepped down from his role as cabinet member for neighbourhoods last week after the ECHO revealed his links to the Vega Group. He maintains he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide.
After Mayor Joanne Anderson announced that both the Labour party and the council were looking into the matter, he said in a statement: "I believe that our city and its image are more important than any individual, including myself. For me, our city and its residents will always be my highest priority and must be protected.
"In discussion with Mayor Joanne Anderson, I am taking a conscious decision to put the interest of our city and its residents ahead of my feelings, interest and my politics.
"Therefore, I have decided to step aside as Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and allow for a full independent investigation to take its course without any influence or distraction. I will accept and abide by the outcomes of any recommendations from the investigation."
There are now opposition calls for Cllr Qadir to step down from his role as a councillor.
Cllr Richard Kemp, leader of Liverpool's Liberal Democrats, said: "The more digging that gets done into Cllr Qadir's business interests and connections the clearer it becomes that he should have had nothing to do with any review of development in the city and that he has significantly failed to register interests in the proper way.
"With his connection to another undeveloped site in Liverpool now having been uncovered it is increasingly obvious that he should now resign from the council in addition to his resignation as a Cabinet Member.
"Cllr Qadir's position is getting increasingly untenable and his actions serve to further spread cynicism not only about his role as a councillor and who he was serving but also creates cynicism about other councillors in this city and beyond."
Cllr Steve Radford, leader of the council's Liberal group, -said: "This city has suffered from decades of under development where owners have land-banked valuable sites and sat on them.
"For a councillor to be an active director of a group apparently involved in land-banking sites is in direct conflict with his public role."
The ECHO approached Cllr Qadir for comment. Speaking to the ECHO earlier this week Sami Labidi, who owns the Vega Group, said: "We are investors who are going through hard times and trying our best to survive in this difficult economic climate."
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