Veteran property tycoon Irvine Sellar dies

The property magnate Irvine Sellar, who developed London’s Shard tower, has died aged 82.

Mr Sellar, a self-made man whose father sold gloves in London’s Petticoat Lane market, made his name in fashion in the 1960s before moving into the property industry.

He considered the Shard, the UK’s tallest building, to be his crowning achievement, telling the Financial Times ahead of its 2012 launch that pushing the project to completion was “like swimming all the way across the Atlantic”.

Mr Sellar died on Sunday after a short illness, his family said in a statement on Monday. His son James will take over running the Sellar Property Group, his company for the past 25 years.

“The property industry has lost an immense and irreplaceable character whose sheer grit and determination will leave a huge void in a sector known for big characters,” his spokesman said in a statement.

Mr Sellar was one of the best-known figures among a series of self-made property tycoons who established their careers in London in the mid 20th century, along with others such as Gerald Ronson and Sir John Ritblat.