Wednesday March 18th 2026
Part of the facade of the 157-year-old Forsyth Building looms over hoardings blocking the site off on Monday, March 16
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Edinburgh Council will ask the Scottish Government to allow councils to regulate vape shops after a fire which began in one burned out a historic building in Glasgow city centre.
At a regulatory committee meeting on Monday, councillors passed an emergency motion making the call in the aftermath of the blaze which took place last Sunday.
Though nobody was injured, the fire paralysed Glasgow Central railway station – Scotland’s busiest – for almost ten days, severing many transport links to the south of the city.
At the meeting, Green councillor Susan Rae, who brought the motion forward, said: “In this city, we have 600 registered vape shops.
“But we have no power to do anything with any of the vape shops that are registered. There have been multiple calls to close down vape shops.
“Obviously this is an issue that has to come from the Scottish Parliament, and the huge backlash to the fire has created a groundswell of demand for immediate regulation.”
She added that, though urgent action was needed, councils would also need support to get the resources needed to regulate vape shops due to existing demand on council services.
At present, councils have no power to licence vape shops, and trading standards teams are limited to ensuring products being sold are legitimate, not single-use and are going to those 18 years or older.
Regulatory committee convener and Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Ross said he was happy to support the motion.
He added: “I welcome the motion, we see it as an emergency, I see it as highly relevant. From that point of view I’m happy to support it.”
He also commended the work of the city’s trading standards teams in enforcing the law around vape shops where they have the power to do so.
Councillors agreed that regulatory services manager Andrew Mitchell would write to the Scottish Government making the ask.
At least three shops near Waverley Station sell vapes, including two on Waverley Steps and one inside Waverley Mall.
A reduced service from Glasgow Central’s high-level platforms began running on Wednesday, March 18, with intercity services still unable to reach the station.
Services were able to begin running from the low-level platforms under the station a few days after the fire, though they can only handle traffic to the east and west of the city.
A large area near the station and the burned building is still closed off to the public, as teams work to demolish what is left of the 157-year-old B-listed Forsyth Building.
Tweet Share on Facebook
