The multinational company’s innovation center is to be expanded with another building Pfizer in the East Plaza complex, where there are already five buildings. The Metropolitan Committee of Thessaloniki gave a positive opinion today on the strategic environmental impact study of the Special Urban Planning Plan for the modification of the urban planning regulations in force.

According to the services of the Region, emergency needs have arisen for the company, which wishes to expand. 550 staff are already employed there, while a building extension needs to be made in order for them to be employed another 350 people. The infrastructure is located in an area of ​​thirty acres while it is foreseen, among other things, the change of building conditions from 0.2 to 0.4, the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building, the increase of greenery by 4% (from 18 to 22% ) and the reduction of parking space.

The mandated regional Innovation Advisor Nikos Jollas underlined the need to strengthen the innovation ecosystem in this region. “We have a company that is a global leader, it has increased well-paid jobs in our region, it will double them, and with the building factor that will be given, there will be the possibility for corresponding companies that want to work with this particular one to they have the possibility to have offices and spaces there” he said characteristically. At the same time, he mentioned that the area has already shaped its character in terms of buildings and added: “it would be a good idea to look at the glass as half full and to give a perspective in the coming years to attract specific investments in this area”.

For his part, the deputy mayor of Town Planning of the Municipality of Pylaia – Hortiatis Asterios Kiskinis stated that the Municipality is always in favor of such investments, while the representative of the Municipality’s Construction Directorate, Stavros Anastasiadis, raised the issue of the necessity of traffic regulations in order to address the increased traffic access needs that will arise from the increase in the building stock.

The opposition factions expressed reservations about the increase in construction, for environmental reasons.