Mr Guest was a former director of Bruntwood in Liverpool and was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Liverpool Commercial District Business Improvement District

A passionate advocate for Liverpool’s commercial district and a former director of property firm Bruntwood, David Guest, has died.

Mr Guest was believed to be in his mid-40s. He lived in Manchester with his wife and two children but it is understood he was visiting London at the weekend when died unexpectedly.

Bill Addy, chief executive of the Liverpool BID Company has paid tribute to Mr Guest who was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Liverpool Commercial District BID (Business Improvement District).

“I am shocked and saddened to hear of David’s death, and at such a young age,” said Mr Addy.

“It was David’s vision and enthusiasm that led to the creation of the Commercial District BID, he was responsible in a great measure for its successful launch  and his contribution to making it the organisation it is cannot be underplayed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Mr Guest was a well-know and popular figure in the Merseyside and wider North West property sector, starting his career with commercial agency Mason Owen in Liverpool before joining Bruntwood.

He played a key role in the refurbishment of The Plaza, the former headquarters of the Littlewoods retail empire, which Bruntwood acquired in 2003.

Despite leaving the company to work as a consultant, Mr Guest continued to work wit Bruntwood. He was chairman of  Liverpool Commercial BID from 2007 to 2013 and was active in the Merseyside arts scene, working with Tate Liverpool and the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres.

Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Bruntwood, added: “He was one of the kindest and most genuine people who I have had the pleasure to work with.

“He was always driven by doing the right thing and cared passionately about customers, colleagues and the wider community. He will be sorely missed by us all.”

And the chairman of membership body Professional Liverpool, Jim Gill, also paid tribute to Mr Guest: “David’s sudden death is shocking and very sad. I worked closely with David during his time with Bruntwood in the city – he was dedicated to his job and to promoting the importance of the city centre.

“As well as his work with Professional Liverpool, he was instrumental in the establishment of a Business Improvement District for the commercial heart of the city. The thoughts of all of us at Professional Liverpool are with his family.”