Anyone know what this is?

[Director]

I've been letting this plant grow thinking it was a sunflower but now I don't think so. Can someone tell me what it is?

 

[ClissAT]

I have seen it before but I googled it & didn't come up with anything.
Its an ornamental in anycase with large flowers if I remember rightly.
You could adopt a 'wait & see' strategy.

 

[Director]

Thanks for that, I don't mind wait and see but it's in a location where if it turns into a tree it might be an issue.

After a heap of googling it looks like it's a 'Royal Empress Tree', a species of Pawlonia, not what I want growing where it is.