Key takeaways
- New vape shops in England would need to apply to their local council for planning permission to open, under a high-streets plan announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
- The legal definition of a “vape shop” is being tightened so businesses can’t dodge the rules by calling themselves a general convenience store.
- Councils get tougher enforcement: closure orders for shops caught selling illegal tobacco can be extended from six months to 12 (England and Wales).
- This is not a ban on vaping or on buying vapes. It targets the number and legitimacy of high-street vape shops, aimed squarely at the dodgy operators selling illegal, untaxed products.
- It still has to become law, so nothing changes overnight, but it signals the direction of travel for the UK vape retail market.
What’s been announced
The UK government wants to give councils in England the power to control where new vape shops open, starting by making them apply for planning permission first. The measures are part of a wider high-streets plan unveiled by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, pitched as a way to revive town centres he said had been “hollowed out,” and to crack down on the organised crime that has spread through some high streets.
For vaping specifically, three changes matter:
- Planning permission for new shops (England). Every new shop selling e-cigarettes or vapes would have to apply to its local council for permission to open, giving councils a say they don’t currently have over how many vape shops line a high street.
- A tighter “vape shop” definition (England). The rules are being written to stop businesses side-stepping them by describing themselves as a general convenience store or retailer rather than a vape shop.
- Longer closure orders (England and Wales). Shops, including mini-marts and vape shops, caught selling illegal tobacco can be shut down for up to 12 months, double the current six-month maximum.
The plan also covers betting shops and adult gaming centres, and sets new expectations for shop-front design, but the vape-shop measures are the ones that matter to this audience.
What it means if you vape
Very little changes for you directly. This isn’t a crackdown on vaping. You can still buy and use vapes exactly as before; there’s no new restriction on legal products, strengths or flavours here (those sit under separate rules, which we cover in our guide to where vaping is banned and restricted).
What the government is really targeting is the illegal end of the high street: shops selling smuggled, untaxed or non-compliant tobacco and vapes. The National Crime Agency estimates around £1bn a year is laundered through high-street businesses tied to fake goods, tax evasion and illegal sales, and enforcement has already ramped up, with 1.3 million illegal vapes seized in a year since the disposables ban. If anything, squeezing the shops that trade illegally is good for legitimate vapers, who’ve had to share the shelf with unregulated product for years.
What it means for vape shops
For legitimate retailers it’s a mixed picture. A tighter definition and a planning-permission step raise the bar to open a new shop and make it harder for bad actors to hide, which established, compliant shops may welcome. But it also adds friction and cost for anyone opening a genuine new business, and the political opposition was quick to say so: the Conservatives and Reform argued the plans would leave high streets “more empty” without tax relief for small businesses.
Existing shops selling legal, compliant products aren’t the target. The 12-month closure orders are aimed at those caught with illegal tobacco, so the message to the trade is straightforward: stay compliant and you’ve little to fear; cut corners and the penalties just got heavier.
When does it happen?
Not immediately. These are proposals that require changes to planning law, so they have to pass through the legislative process before they take effect, and the detail (and exact timing) will firm up as the plans are drafted. They also apply mainly to England, with the closure-order change covering England and Wales; Scotland and Wales set much of their own policy here.
It’s the direction that’s worth noting: alongside the single-use vape ban and the incoming vape tax, the UK is steadily tightening the rules around how and where vapes are sold. We’ll update this as the legislation moves. 1BBC News, Councils to get more powers to stop vape and betting shops, PM announces. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg90el9236o
