Key facts
- A new vape and mobile phone repair shop is preparing to open next to Glasgow's Mackintosh Tearooms.
- The Mackintosh Tearooms are a Category A-listed building and a treasured heritage site.
- Concerns have been raised about the fire risk posed by vape shops, following recent fires at other historic Glasgow buildings.
- The Scottish fire and rescue service confirmed a previous fire at Union Corner started in a vape shop.
- The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society has called for the shop's opening to be halted.
- Glasgow city council stated the premises already had permission to operate as a shop.
A new vape and mobile phone repair shop's impending opening next to Glasgow's historic Mackintosh Tearooms has ignited concerns among local residents and heritage campaigners regarding fire safety. The Mackintosh Tearooms, a Category A-listed building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, is considered a vital part of the city's heritage and a significant draw for tourism.
Concerns are amplified by recent fire incidents involving vape shops in historic locations. The Scottish fire and rescue service confirmed that a fire which destroyed the B-listed Union Corner building began in a vape shop. A subsequent audit of other vape shops revealed various fire safety issues. The Mackintosh Society has urged Glasgow city council and the Scottish government to halt the new shop's opening, citing the "increased risk of fire" as unacceptable.
Glasgow city council has stated that the premises in question had long been granted permission to operate as a shop, and that there is no specific licensing framework for vape shops in Scotland. Following the Union Corner fire, the council had urged the Scottish government to enhance regulation, but Holyrood indicated that local planning applications are the responsibility of local authorities. Paul Sweeney, a Labour MSP for Glasgow, has called for a ban on vape shops in historic buildings and expressed astonishment at the government's perceived lack of urgency on planning reform.
Local residents have also voiced their dismay, with one describing the potential loss of the tearooms to fire as a "heartbreak that the city can’t go through again." In protest, street artist Ashley Rawson created an "unexploded vape" sculpture near the new shop, questioning the approach to heritage preservation in the Sauchiehall Street area.