The City of Athens council agreed yesterday, in a majority decision, to change the town-planning regulation for the site of the old gas works in the fashionable district of Gazi, amid complaints from opposition politicians that the move would lead to yet more cafes and bars opening up in the neighborhood.

Eighteen councilors voted in favor and eight against the plans to allow some unused buildings on the site, which is home to the Technopolis cultural center and Athens International Radio and Athina 984 radio stations.

Fotis Ignatiou, councilor and president of Technopolis, the organization that manages the cultural center, told Kathimerini that the new plan would not lead to any structural changes on the site of the former gas works.

Instead, he said, it would bring order so some buildings that have not been used until now can be opened up for commercial use.

Ignatiou said this would help bring in revenues to the municipality and cover the costs of maintaining the site.

The councillor said that his offices, the Maria Callas museum and the cafe in Technopolis have been operating without licenses but the new town-planning scheme would change this.

Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis gave the council members his personal assurance that no new buildings would be erected on the premises.

However, the change to the town-planning regulations also affects the area that immediately surrounds Technopolis. Opposition councillors fear the area, which is a trendy hangout for young Athenians, will become infested by more nightclubs, restaurants and cafes.

“This is a carefully planned effort to completely transform this area into an entertainment district,” said Giorgos Anagnostopoulos of PASOK’s I Athina Alla-zei group.