824 tobacconists, vape stores in Sydney’s inner west, as council makes bid for shop ban near schools

Is this the vape store capital of Sydney? An inner city community says they have been overrun with tobacconists and vape shops as council makes a bid to ban their operation near local schools.

Inner West council looks to cap the number of tobacconists and vape stores in the area.

Sydney’s inner suburbs have been overrun by vape stores and tobacconists, with eye-watering new statistics revealing a massive 824 shopfronts selling the deadly sticks in the Inner West.

The shocking figures come as Inner West Council make a bid to ‘block’ vape and tobacco stores from operating near schools, while forecasting a cull on the number of businesses allowed to operate in the local government area.

NSW Health documents tendered to council reveals Sydney’s Inner West has 824 tobacco and vape premises – some located near secondary schools.

This has led council to write to the health department to propose a limit on the number of retailers, as well as a huge change to council power that would give them control over tobacconists hoping to operate in the community.

The council is targeting tobacconists and vape retailers.

Currently, tobacco and vape retail premises don't need planning approval under the ‘Exempt and Complying’ development laws, and are only required to notify NSW Health what they intend to operate as.

The penalties for retailers trading without notification is $1100 for an individual and $5500 for a corporation.

However under council’s proposed changes, tobacconists and vape stores will need approval through a development application to open in the Inner West.

In order to go forward with this, council would require the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to amend the relevant environmental planning procedures that would specifically target the Inner West and exclude all retailers outside of the region.

Council claim there are a number of ways that this can be done through definitions, exclusions or variations.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, said with more than 19,000 tobacconists already registered across NSW, it’s time to prevent further proliferation and “stop them in their tracks”.

“Tobacconist and vape stores are spreading throughout every neighbourhood and Main Street,” he said.

“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 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.”

Mr Byrne believes forcing vape and tobacconist retailers to be approved by the council through regulatory powers could help “reverse” the damage these stores have done. 

Mayor Darcy Byrne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

On top of these new regulations, council are not only looking to cap the number of stores within the Inner West but limit and reduce the amount of retailers allowed to operate across NSW.

Stores also seeking to open near a secondary school will be restricted and reduced, under council’s plans.

Vapes containing nicotine and the importation of disposable vapes were banned on January 1, 2024 after 3000 inspections were carried out in 2023. During the inspections, authorities seized over 430,000 nicotine vapes, 4.8 million cigarettes and over 1700kg of other illegal tobacco products with an estimated street value of over $19.5 million.

NSW Health advised the council that it applied a graduated and proportionate compliance and enforcement approach to this issue, while targeting retailers who present the highest risk.