Cork City Council reviewing 'clusters' of phone, vape and barber shops

Cork City Council has opened 17 files this year to examine complaints about the prevalence of vape, phone, and barber shops in clusters in certain areas of the city.

Under current legislation, the council has said it can do very little to curtail the rising number of these types of businesses, but it is reviewing the clustering of similar properties in one area.

At Monday’s meeting of Cork City Council, Independent Ireland councillor Noel O’Flynn asked if the council has undertaken any assessment or review “of the increase and clustering of vape shops, barber shops, mobile phone repair shops, and other predominantly cash-intensive businesses in Cork city”.

The council’s director of planning and integrated development, Niall Ó Donnabháin, said the issue was “under review”. He added that, in 2026 so far, 17 enforcement files have been opened, following complaints from the public.

He said reviews were completed in 11 instances and warning letters were issued to eight property owners or occupiers “regarding such unauthorised development”.

These cases remain ongoing, he said, but explained that often the extent of such unauthorised development in planning terms refers to amendments or alterations to shopfronts and signage, “and the use is outside the scope of enforcement”.

“As per current planning legislation, Cork City Council can do little in relation to limiting phone, barber, or vape shop clusters in Cork city, where these shops are established in existing retail shop units,” he said.

He added that such shops come under the definition of a “shop” as set out in the planning laws and, as a result, planning permission is not required to change from one type of retail shop to another.

These uses fall under the ‘Class 1’ use and moving from one type of shop to another is exempted development under planning law.

“It is disappointing that we don’t have some way of stopping the proliferation of these shops in the city centre,” Mr O’Flynn said.