'Tacky shops' are not wanted in Mayo town

Public representatives in Westport are appealing to Mayo County Council to ensure regulations are in place to prevent "tacky shops" from opening up in the famed tourist town.

The call arose following the temporary opening of a retail unit in the town on which the retail sign of ‘Vapes and Candy’ was put in place.

At the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District meeting, Fine Gael Cllr Peter Flynn said it was not the first time that such an issue had arisen. 

“We are getting a lot of tacky shops on our main streets that are not adding to our character. Westport is a heritage town. Back in 1999, we made serious efforts to remove plastic and illuminated signs but a plethora have been put up in the last few years.

“This premises thankfully has closed in the last week and the fact they could take it down in a night just shows this signage was quite literally stuck on and was just taken away in the darkness. 

"We need to put a stop to this. I propose we invite the town architect to our meeting in January to lay out where we are regarding shop frontage on our streets, and particularly, what is illegal and what amendments can be made to our local area plans that can prevent such operations from being set up.” 

Fianna Fáil Cllr Brendan Mulroy said local councillors were inundated with calls about the signage, saying: “Only for the pressure put on by local councillors this shop would still be open. It was setting off the wrong vibe for Westport. The naming of a shop is problematic. We can refuse the signage but where are we regarding the name? 

"The association of candy and vapes on this occasion portrayed something all shiny and happy and new and kids were very vulnerable to it. There is a serious amount of anger from parents on this, making it easy for young people to access vapes. We should not be trying to encourage our young people into vaping or smoking. If the owner of the shop did not back down, it is quite possible it would still be ‘Candy and Vapes’ on that unit. Had they put up the sign, would they have been entitled to legally leave it there? We must seek clarification on this. There has to be some control in relation to the naming of a building.” 

Director of Services Joanne Grehan said she will seek clarity on the issue and have a report ready by February.