Leitrim County Council to seek audit details on vape shop signage

Leitrim County Council will contact Sligo County Council following an audit it carried out on signage at vape shops in Sligo Town.

Last month, it was confirmed that three vape shops in Sligo Town were found to be in breach of planning regulations over excessive signage, with warning letters sent out.

At July’s meeting of Manorhamilton Municipal District, Cllr James Gilmartin asked that the Council conduct a comprehensive audit of external signage and window displays at all vape shops in the Manorhamilton MD and across the county, with particular regard to compliance with planning regulations, advertising standards and public health legislation.

“This audit should assess the visibility and nature of promotional material, especially where it may appeal to children and young people, and the Council should provide a report outlining findings, any enforcement action required and recommendations to ensure consistency and compliancy,” stated Cllr Gilmartin’s motion.

“There are certain shops advertising as sweet shops - I have no issue with sweets nor vapes - my concern was around the potential impact this could have on younger people, especially attracting them into the shop,” Cllr Gilmartin told the meeting.

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He added that he would welcome any business into the town and that “it’s not about targeting any particular one business.”

A Council response stated that it is not the appropriate body to address this issue and has no role to play in assessing or regulating whether any advertisement is compliant with the requirements of either advertising standards or public health legislation. It said these matters fall respectively within the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority and the HSE.

Senior Planner Bernard Greene explained that there is a possibility of looking at advertising in Manorhamilton in general, but the Council cannot single out a business. Any assessment would be based on specific measurements of the advertising rather than the character or potential message it is sending out.

The rules allow for up to 0.3 square metres for every metre of frontage, subject to a maximum of five square metres. There are also different exemptions for advertising within a shop.

Cllr Gilmartin commented that it is “important” that people understand the Council’s role in this.

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He confirmed that the Planning Department is happy to contact Sligo County Council to find out the scope of what it did and what action has been taken following the findings.