There have been calls for a rethink of policy around vape shop licensing in Glasgow city centre.

The call comes after Sunday’s devastating fire at Union Corner. The incident has provoked calls for a conversation around how the city should handle licensing and planning consents for buildings near high-risk flammable products, such as vape e-cigarettes.

Speaking yesterday, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken urged caution linking Sunday’s Union Street fire with vape e-cigarettes, but said that a conversation around the storage of their batteries was needed.

Ms Aitken added: “Glasgow City Council is right now, and has been for a few weeks running, a public information campaign about safe disposal of batteries because we’ve had fires in the back of our cleansing trucks because a battery’s being incorrectly disposed of.

“So there’s an issue there anyway, regardless around the storage and disposal of batteries, whether they’re in vapes or in other kinds of devices. So I think we need to have that conversation anyway.”

The cause of Sunday’s fire has yet to be determined.

Firefighters have been continuing to damp down the building in central Glasgow that was gutted by a devastating fire at the weekend (Picture: John Devlin) | John Devlin / The Scotsman

placeholder image — Firefighters have been continuing to damp down the building in central Glasgow that was gutted by a devastating fire at the weekend (Picture: John Devlin) | John Devlin / The Scotsman

Calls for a re-think of policies regarding licensing and planning consents within heritage buildings have come from across the political spectrum, including from Glasgow’s Labour MSP Paul Sweeney. He called Glasgow’s city centre buildings “not appropriate for hosting such hazardous materials”.

Mr Sweeney said: “It's just devastating to think that 175 years of Glasgow heritage has been brought to the ground because of a vape shop in the area. So I think there is a concern about the licensing and planning rules around these premises that needs to be looked at nationally as well as in the city of Glasgow itself.”

Our analysis found four further vape shops located in, or in neighbouring buildings of, A and B-listed buildings in Glasgow city centre, including one at the foot of the Egyptian Halls building on Union Street - just yards from where the fire ravaged the area.

Further shops were found on High Street, Trongate and under the Victorian railway bridge on Argyle Street, known as Heilanman's Umbrella. All are connected to listed buildings.

Mr Sweeney said the risks involved with allowing vape shops near the 175-year old building on Union Street were not “fully appreciated or realised”.

He added: “It's not clear what statutory obligations the owner has adhered to in terms of fire inspections, whether SFRS had ever visited these high risk retail units to establish what the protocols were for storage, safe storage of these items such as lithium batteries.”

SFRS and Glasgow City Council have been approached for comment.