Vape shop opening next to Glasgow Mackintosh Tearooms sparks backlash amid fire concerns
Concerns have been raised over the possible fire risk associated with having a vape shop directly next to the A-listed tearooms, which has a largely timber and plaster interior.
A new vape shop is set to open next door to one of Glasgow's A-listed heritage sites, sparking backlash and fire fears after the Union Street vape shop blaze ended in the destruction of a 175-year-old building.
Signage has been erected for a vape and technology shop next to the Mackintosh Tearooms on Sauchiehall Street, which first opened in 1903 and were designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in collboration with his wife Margaret Macdonald.
But concerns have been raised over the possible fire risk associated with having a vape shop directly next to the tearooms, which has a largely timber and plaster interior.
Local artist Ashley Rawson erected a piece protesting the new shop titled "Unexploded Vape" outside the Sauchiehall Street property on Tuesday (September 22). The artist previously displayed his giant "burnt heritage flavour" model vape in the city centre in the aftermath of the Union Street blaze.
Mr Rawson told Glasgow Live: "Following the Union Corner fire, I, like the rest of Glasgow, felt a sense of mourning and frustration. Lots of folks were just flabbergasted at how such a thing could happen and why an unregulated vape shop could be allowed to open next to a building with a largely timber interior.
"I produced 'Unexploded Vape' as a reaction to this as I wanted to hint at the threat of many more 'unexploded' vape shops that might exist across the city.
"On a trip to the emerging 'Sauchiehall Street Heritage District' on Monday, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that a vape and electronics shop was preparing to open next to Glasgow's surviving jewel in the crown of Mackintosh heritage – the Mackintosh Tearooms.
"The Tearooms are stunning with glass, timber and plaster interiors – the sort that burn easily.
"I retraced my steps the next morning but brought the 'Burnt Heritage Flavour' vape from my 'Unexploded Vape' installation as a protest piece."
It comes just months after the potential fire risks of lithium-ion batteries found in vapes was cast into the public eye with the destruction of the Union Corner building – and several businesses inside it – when a blaze that began in a vape shop on Union Street spread to the building and reduced it to rubble.
Lithium-ion battery fires are known for spreading quickly and being challenging to quell, but SFRS is yet to confirm the exact origin of the vape shop blaze.
The council has said there are no distinctions in planning legislation about what products can be sold in retail units like the pending vape and electronics shop. However, concerns have since been raised on the potential risks associated with vape shops in residential buildings and heritage sites.
Glasgow Live previously reported that a UK Government petition had been launched to forbid the selling of vapes in buildings with residential properties. And we reported this morning that a fire audit of 18 Glasgow businesses, which included vape shops, revealed a lack of awareness of legislation and fire safety duties in the city.
The new vape shop on Sauchiehall Street has also come under criticism by Mr Rawson for potentially posing a fire risk to historical buildings while the area is undergoing a 10-year development to become a "Culture and Heritage District", with £2.3million funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The plan from Glasgow City Council, in partnership with Glasgow Life, is currently in a "proof-of-concept" phase until December 2027. It aims to champion Sauchiehall Street's heritage and history, "strengthen resilience across heritage organisations and communities", and "instil pride in place through conservation and cultural activation".
Mr Rawson added in a social media video: "[The new vape shop] is next to our Mackintosh Tearooms in our 'Sauchiehall Heritage Zone'. We've got tacky plastic signage, we've got vapes and electronics being sold next to another largely timber building. Are we really going to allow this?
"Is this really the Sauchiehall Heritage approach that we're looking for? And aren't we learning from Union Corner?"
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "If this unit is to be used as a retail unit then any products can be sold there - there are no distinctions in planning legislation about what products can be sold in what is known as a Class 1 A (retail/office/café) unit.
"Similarly if an application was being made for change of use to a retail unit on Sauchiehall Street then this would most certainly be supported by planning policy.
"It should be noted that no changes have been made to legislation which change vape shops to a different use class, although I understand there have been calls for this, similar to betting shops which were taken into a class of their own by the Scottish Government.
"Any such change would have to come through legislative change from the Scottish Government.”
