St Nicholas’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Kangaroo Point

Brisbane church member Constantine Drozdovskii chose public participation over prayer yesterday in an attempt to stop a development proposal casting a shadow over his local church.

At yesterday’s Brisbane City Council’s meeting, Mr Drozdovskii urged council members to reject a development application that would see a 20-storey apartment block tower over St Nicholas’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Kangaroo Point.

Mr Drozdovskii said his fellow parishioners were concerned their church would be “tucked away under high resources” by such a development and put the survival of the community’s Russian culture, religion and history at risk.

“Cloudland has been destroyed. Fairyhouse is under threat. Are heritage buildings to become a thing of the past?” he said.

Chairperson of the Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Committee, Councillor Amanda Cooper, said while she sympathised with Mr Drozdovskii and his parishioners she could offer no assurances on the matter.

“Under state government regulations council can’t refuse an application, council are obliged to go through the processes,” she said.

Councillor Cooper said she would encourage Mr Drozdovskii to get involved in the planning process to ensure his concerns are heard.

Built in 1935-1936, St Nicholas’s was consecrated in 1948 as the first Russian Orthodox cathedral in Australia.