The Inner West Council has now resolved to stop the spread of tobacconist and vape shops in the Inner West.
A Mayoral Minute from Mayor Darcy Byrne proposing new regulations to cap and reduce the number of these stores was passed unanimously.
Council is seeking new regulatory power to enact changes including:
- Requiring all tobacconist and vape stores to submit a development application before opening
- Capping and reducing the total number of these outlets in NSW and the Inner West
- Limitations on the ability of these stores to open nearby to schools and places where children congregate
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Byrne said, “With more than 19,000 tobacconists already registered across NSW, it’s time to prevent further proliferation.
“Tobacconist and vape stores are spreading throughout every neighbourhood and main street and it’s time they were stopped in their tracks.
“A new bottle-shop requires a full development application and social impact assessment, but currently tobacconists can open and trade after filling in a few forms.
“The ‘Tobacco Candy Mart’ in Dulwich Hill is the latest obscene example of how these stores are targeting our kids and it’s time to draw a line in the sand.
“The enormous number of tobacconist and vape stores opening near primary and high schools poses a real threat to the health of children and must be curtailed.
“We are seeking the regulatory power to stop and reverse the spread of these businesses in our streets, especially those thoroughfares that kids use to travel to and from school.
“At a time when the federal government is looking to ban vapes, thousands of new tobacconist shops are opening each year with no restrictions at all.
“Decades after tobacco advertising was banned it’s nonsensical that we are allowing these shops to proliferate throughout every suburb and town in NSW. It’s time to act.”
