Seven Faith Groups and Three Developers Wanted It: An Albury Church Sells for $1.1 Million to the Dentist Next Door

• Trinity Uniting Church on Mate Street, North Albury, has sold for $1.1 million.
• The 2,750-square-metre site was bought by Jay Shah, owner of the adjoining Mate Street Dental Clinic.
• Seven religious groups and three developers expressed interest.
• The church’s foundation stone was laid in 1958; its final service was held in January 2026.

A suburban church in regional New South Wales has sold to its neighbour after a contest that drew both faith groups and developers. The Border Mail reported that Trinity Uniting Church in North Albury has sold for $1.1 million.

The church on Mate Street sits on a 2,750-square-metre site. Its foundation stone was laid in 1958, and its last service was held in January 2026. Seven religious groups and three developers expressed interest in the property, and two faith organisations had approached the Uniting Church even before it was listed.

The buyer is Dr Jay Shah, who owns the adjoining Mate Street Dental Clinic. He said the land would first be used for staff parking, with a possible health-sector development considered later, and that he was “unlikely to sell the site or a part of it in the next five years.” Selling agent Greg Wood of Wood Real Estate said the result was “slightly above our expectations”, adding that “competition mostly creates the end result.”

Trinity’s remaining members have joined St David’s Uniting Church in central Albury, which was due to celebrate its 120th anniversary on September 20, 2026.

The buyer here is a familiar figure in property markets everywhere: the neighbour who can put the land to use straight away. For Jamaican churches with land to sell, adjoining owners are often the most motivated buyers, and a competitive process can lift the price, as it did in Albury. For professionals and small businesses who operate next to church land, the lesson is to keep an eye on the congregation’s plans. A merger or a closing service can put a long-coveted piece of land on the market suddenly.

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