The former Fairfield home of St Joseph Melkite Church is on the market after almost 50 years
A large block in Gillies Street, Fairfield, which has been home to the St Joseph Melkite Church for almost 50 years, has been put on the market.
With the church congregation growing in recent years, the decision has been made to sell the site and relocate.
It’s good news for parishioners, with proceeds of the sale slated to go towards a new site with more extensive facilities in the outer northern suburbs, closer to where many of the congregation live.
And good news, too, says listing agent Orlando Petruccelli of The Agency Boroondara, for buyers keen on an unusually large parcel of land in the popular suburb just six kilometres north-east of the CBD.
At a sprawling 1618 square metres, the property has GRZ2 zoning, which provides the flexibility to redevelop or renovate the existing church buildings.
Mr Petruccelli said the bonus of dual street frontages and two addresses – access is available at the main address 40 Gillies Street and via the parallel street at 37A Rathmines Street – combined with the large size makes this an extremely rare offering for Fairfield, the easterly neighbour of Northcote, an area in demand with young couples and families.
“There’s a vast variety of things that can be done on the property,” Mr Petruccelli said, suggesting that it could include several new townhouses or units or an apartment complex.
The existing church buildings could alternatively be converted into a unique single home or multiple dwellings.
The estimated price is $4.95 million to $5.4 million.
“Everything is subject to council approval, but I think it’s so rare – it’s very hard to find a property that size in such a prominent location,” Mr Petruccelli said.
Whatever does end up there, it’s an enviable location in terms of getting around. Around 100 metres away at the end of the street is Fairfield train station, and there’s easy access to the Eastern Freeway.
A few minutes’ walk gets you to the shopping strip of Station Street, known for its strong sense of community. Instead of a big supermarket, you’ll find Oasis Middle Eastern food market and an IGA, among book stores, cafes and restaurants, and Fairyfields children’s party venue.
According to Domain data, the median price for a two-bedroom home in Fairfield is $1.045 million.
The suburb is home to the century-old Fairfield Park Boathouse and Tea Gardens overlooking the Yarra River and Yarra Bend park’s combination of natural bushland and sporting fields.
Mr Petruccelli said there was demand from young families moving into Fairfield, pointing to the steady growth of neighbouring Northcote over the past 15 years.
“Fairfield’s heading in that direction,” he said. “[The site] is probably the last of its size in the area with dual street frontage.”
A representative for St Joseph Melkite Church, Nadim Haddad, agreed that it had been an excellent location for the church but said the expansion of the congregation and the different age groups within that meant they had outgrown the space.
“At our current site – while it’s in a brilliant position – we don’t have enough space to fully cater to our needs,” he said.
“For example, we don’t have appropriate space for the youth to congregate, to sit together, to have a chat. There are no classrooms to run Sunday School activities.”
The church is a Middle Eastern Catholic church that welcomes many newly-arrived migrants and refugees, including those from Syria.
Mr Haddad said a large part of St Joseph’s mission was to support people who may not have family or any contacts in Melbourne, assisting with social support and integration and “creating a safe friendship zone for them as well”.
New classrooms and a better-equipped kitchen for integration support events were some of the ideas for the future build.
Mr Haddad said an exact location hadn’t been decided for the relocation, but it would be further towards where much of the congregation is based, from Coburg out to Roxburgh Park and Craigieburn.
