By Casey Neill
Yarra Glen residents are cautiously optimistic that strict conditions will keep a neighbouring winery in check.
Yarra Ranges Councillors voted on an application to build a function centre at Greenstone Vineyards on Yarraview Road at their Tuesday 24 July meeting.
The marquee would mainly be used for weddings and would hold up to 150 people.
Cr Fiona McAllister said the initial proposal was to operate 7am to 1am daily “which was excessive”.
An acoustic report forced Greenstone to scale these hours back due to noise restrictions, but Cr McAllister moved an alternative motion that reigned in the hours even further.
The venue will be allowed to open from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday, from 9am to 10.30pm on Fridays, 10am to 10.30pm on Saturdays and noon to 6pm on Sundays.
Music must cease at 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday, 10pm on Friday and Saturday, and 6pm on Sundays.
“I am very torn between a deferral and doing what we’re doing tonight,” Cr McAllister said.
“I know if we end up in VCAT through a deferral that’s probably not the best decision.
“I would rather we try to reach a reasonable decision tonight.
“This significant reduction in operating hours should ease resident concerns.”
She said she couldn’t think of another area where a winery abutted a residential area in the same way.
“I think we have a very high duty of care around this,” he said.
“Yarra Glen is a quiet, rural township.
“People live there for that reason.”
The application received 36 objections, including a petition, raising concerns about traffic and parking, noise, dust, pedestrian and equestrian safety, excessive trading hours, security, landscaping and aesthetics, property devaluation and wastewater management.
John, who didn’t want his surname published, spoke on behalf of residents at the meeting and to the Mail.
He was pleased with Cr McAllister’s amendments but said residents were still concerned about traffic and whether the winery would have to abide by the conditions.
“What disturbs me is that every one of those things can be overridden by an authorised officer,” he said.
John said the area was quiet day and night and the roads were “basically dead ends for local traffic only”.
He said the winery held a jazz afternoon and “we can hear it very plainly and we’re two blocks away”.
John said the council had not notified all neighbours who would be affected, and many only found out about the application through word of mouth and too late to object.
“We believe council has been negligent in their lack of correspondence,” John said.
In response, Cr McAllister said the concern about who policed the permit conditions was valid and “I think we need to be very diligent in our support…”.
She was “very disturbed to hear of the process” around the application and had spoken to staff about it.
Kate McMahon spoke at the meeting on Greenstone’s behalf.
She said the winery had a long history in the community, was a “great employer of locals for many years” and would be able to provide more jobs through this expansion.
Ms McMahon said the marquee was a natural extension of its cellar door, which operated 10am to 5pm, Thursday to Monday and had caused no issues.
She said Joanne from Greenstone welcomed locals to express their concerns to her directly, and the vineyard was working with the community on blackberry management issues.
