Popular Yarra Valley winery, Helen and Joey Estate, is set to become a major tourist drawcard

A YARRA Valley estate will tap into the booming Asian love for Aussie wines after it won approval to offer top-shelf accommodation and entertainment.

Plans for the Helen and Joey Estate expansion.

A YARRA Valley estate will tap into the booming Asian love for Aussie wines after it won approval to offer top-shelf accommodation and entertainment.

The popular Helen and Joey Estate is set to become a major tourist drawcard complete with a hotel, function centre and restaurant, Yarra Ranges Tourism chief executive Simon O’Callaghan said.

Mr O’Callaghan toasted Yarra Ranges Council decision to back the estate’s expansion as a real “stamp of confidence” for the valley, and would allow weekend visitors to extend their stay.

Plans for the Helen and Joey Estate expansion.

“It is great to see council’s support of this supply gap,” he said.

“We are heavily focused on promoting visitors to extend their weekend trips into the midweek period and this project will further enhance our ability to offer unique on-farm experiences with food, wine and nature, which cater to our growing Melbourne and Asia travel markets.”

But not everyone is popping the champagne.

Spring Lane’s David de Pury, who represents 33 neighbours opposed to the expansion, said it was an overdevelopment of the site.

Mr de Pury said there were concerns about increased traffic and whether 50-seater tourist buses would be able to pass cars with horse floats and cattle trucks.

He said the development would be in residents “faces” if it was built so close to the road and within 300m from a neighbouring house.

Helen and Joey Estate expansion plans.

Fellow objector Greg Conway said the development, which would include a second winery, would clog narrow Spring Lane which was not designed for the expected increase of traffic from 300 to 1500 cars a day.

“This is not Maroondah Highway, it’s not a VicRoads road where large developments can occur; it’s a small shire road, with other shire roads running off it,” he said.

Cr Fiona McAllister said approval was subject to conditions including planting mature trees to shield neighbouring houses from the development, as well as upgrades to the road.

“We do have a difficult balance in the Yarra Valley and I think about getting that balance right with agriculture and tourism and local amenity,” she said.

“The fact is we love our Yarra Valley and we want it to stay the way it is, that’s why we choose to live here and do business here.”

Project Manager Gordon Comins said winning the support of the council was gratifying.