‘A sweet shop can be flipped into a vape store overnight’ as Louth councillors call for crackdown
A sweet shop can be “flipped” into a vape store “almost overnight,” a Louth councillor has warned, as concerns mount over the number of vaping retailers operating in town centres and close to schools.
Cllr. Robert Nash sounded a call for change to legislation at the latest meeting of Louth County Council, where he said “any corner shop” could be turned into a vape shop without the need for planning permission.
"I think it is important we deal with this issue head on, and make the opening of these premises difficult," said Cllr. Nash.
Cllr. Maeve Yore added: “We have a problem with vape shops in our main streets, in every town in Ireland, and for the footfall that is in them they are not just selling vapes.”
Cllr. Marianne Butler said the “litter on the streets, the lollipops and colours are there to entice young people, and make them more attractive to children and young people. It is disgusting.”
Cllr. Dolores Minogue agreed “a lot of kids have an issue {with vaping} and there is no data on it. It’s like the head shops years ago, they should be banned and put out of towns.”
Cllr. Pio Smith said he welcomed moved by the HSE to work with certain “influencers” on anti-vaping messaging.
A separate motion was tabled by Cllr. Ciaran Fisher, criticising what he described as the “proliferation and saturation” of vape shops across the county.
He called for changes to planning legislation to give councils stronger powers to regulate where they can operate. His motion was seconded by Cllr. Declan Power.
“We can see it on our high streets,” Cllr. Fisher said. “People are purchasing a shop and they are flipping it into a vape shop overnight.”
He argued that vaping retailers should be treated as a distinct planning category, meaning they would require full planning permission — similar to off‑licences and betting shops — rather than being allowed to operate generally as a “retail” unit.
Cllr. Fisher asked that the council write to central government requesting the “granting of explicit powers to local authorities to refuse planning applications where they would lead to over‑concentration” and pose a risk to a “balanced retail mix” in town centres.
His motion also called for mechanisms to allow the phasing out, relocation or restriction of existing vape shops located in “sensitive or unsuitable areas” such as high streets, near schools or in densely populated residential zones.
Cllr. Fisher welcomed the council’s response, which acknowledged the “increasing number of vape shops in town centres” and stated that the local authority would support any amendments to planning regulations that would “exclude vape shops from the definition of a shop,” thereby giving councils more control over their location.
Cllr. Maeve Yore backed the proposal, saying: “Shop owners have a moral duty to consider who they are renting their shops to.”
Cllr. Nash’s motion also sought stricter rules on shopfronts, calling for a ban on “bright neon signs, cartoon graphics and products aimed at children” on the exterior of vape stores. He also urged that shop windows be covered or limited to “neutral signage in line with tobacco product restrictions,” and that vaping products be kept out of view behind counters or in closed containers.
A surge in the number of young people who take up vaping has been noted in local schools, according to Cllr. Kevin Meenan, who agreed that vape shops “seem to be popping up everywhere with bright lights.”
Responding to the motion, Thomas McEvoy, Director of Economic Delivery, said the council’s Shopfront Design Guidelines acted as a framework for new signage proposals.
“Any lighting or illumination on signage should generally be discreet,” he said, noting that the council’s planning enforcement team carries out surveys of town centres and can investigate or pursue “unauthorised signage.”
However, he added that the council currently has no legal power to require vape shops to install neutral signage in shop windows.