It has been revealed that a school in Co Cork is surrounded by 21 vape shops, and there is nothing in the planning law to stop more from opening in the area. 

Speaking on the growing concerns with The Claire Byrne Show was Peter Horgan, Labour Party councillor for Cork City, who shared that the proliferation of vape shops is a growing issue in the Rebel County.

He explained: "I'm chair of the Regional Health Forum for South West, which takes place in Cork and Kerry, and it's something that we've been investigating as a forum cross party for the last two years now.

"[We've been] talking about vapes and nicotine inhaling products, and talking with public health professionals, in Cork especially, who've been identifying the number of these vape shops.

"And not just vape shops on their own, but regular retailers that sell nicotine inhaling products or chewing gum products that have nicotine in them that are near schools.

"I think one report that I got in 2024 said that 77% of our schools had a nicotine and a vaping retailer next to them.

"So, it's happening right under our noses and despite motions that I put in in city council and at the HSE, the planning laws are kind of lacking in this regard."

What may come as a surprise to some people is the fact that the HSE has to approve licences for these shops under the Nicotine Inhaling Products Act 2023.

The Act established a licence specifically for vape to be able to be sold, or any kind of nicotine products, along with tobacco.

Mr Horgan shared that in 2025, 5,310 licences were approved in Ireland, with 811 for nicotine only, but 3,600 for both tobacco and nicotine.

He continued: "In Cork and Kerry, we had 772 for both nicotine and tobacco licences. So, we know that these retailers or these standalone vape shops or whatever sort of shop they are, who are applying for them, they're applying for them...

"And actually no licences were refused in Cork and Kerry last year, which is extraordinary to me. There's no geomapping of these licences being considered at all.

"So, I could open a shop and apply for a licence and you could open a shop next to me and apply for a licence and it doesn't seem that there's any regulation in that.

"Yet in our planning, or in our development plans, for Cork anyway, we have a restriction on off-licences being opened where there's already an off-licence being procured.

"So, it's up to people like me now as the development plans begin to be redrawn as of next year to ensure that we try and get specific wording into our development plans.

"But when I talk to our planning experts in City Hall, I'm told, well, we're constrained by national legislation.

"So, the work that I want to do on behalf of my constituents is to limit the amount of vape shops [opening up]."

Main image: Vape Shop sign Pic: Alamy Stock Image