Action urged on vape shops 'congregating' in towns across Cork and Kerry
Councillors in Cork and Kerry are calling for planning rules to prevent vape shops from clustering near schools and in town centres.Summary
A regional health forum has heard that vape shops are "congregating" next to each other across Cork and Kerry, with nothing in the planning process to prevent this. One school in Cork is surrounded by 21 vape shops, and in Tralee four of the eight premises on one street corner are now vape retailers. Forum chair Peter Horgan, a Labour Party councillor for Cork South Central, noted that 772 licences for selling vapes were granted in Cork and Kerry this year with none refused, and argued that development plans should set a minimum distance between vape shops, similar to rules for off-licences. Ann Bambury, a Social Democrats councillor for Bandon-Kinsale, and Sinn Féin councillor for Tralee Deirdre Ferris also raised concerns about proximity to schools and hospitals and the concentration of vape retailers, with Ms Ferris noting some stores also sell sweets and toys and calling for a multi-agency approach involving the HSE and local authority planners. A senior HSE official said the HSE had no statutory role in the content of local development plans but does have a public health role and would be happy to liaise with local authorities. A written reply detailed how Section 11 of the Public Act 2023, in effect since February 2026, requires anyone selling tobacco and/or nicotine inhaling products by retail to apply to the HSE for a licence, with a separate licence for each premises or website. Nationwide, 5,310 licences were granted between February and October 20, 2026, of which 811 were for nicotine-inhaling products, 824 for tobacco products, and 3,675 for both; 772 licences for both were granted in Cork and Kerry.
(Source：Irish Examiner)
