Family in 'forever home' pleads for changes to Jervis Bay Road upgrade
Kim, Zeke, and Stephen Taylor at their home in Falls Creek. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
In short:
Kim and Stephen Taylor say a redesign of the Jervis Bay Road upgrade would bring a proposed service road and roadworks significantly closer to the home they modified for their son Zeke.
The family fears the redesign will increase light, noise, vibration and dust.
What's next?
Transport for NSW says the community is invited to provide feedback until June 19.
The family of a Shoalhaven man living with complex disabilities is pleading with the New South Wales government not to bring a new service road closer to their home, fearing it could have a drastic effect on his health.
Kim and Stephen Taylor say they bought and modified their family home at Falls Creek, on the NSW South Coast, to meet the needs of their son, Zeke, who lives with spastic quadriplegia, epilepsy, chronic respiratory illness and is non-verbal.
In a letter sent to Transport for NSW and seen by the ABC, one doctor warned nearby roadworks had "the potential to adversely impact" the 26-year-old's health.
The doctor said Zeke's epilepsy could be triggered by noise and sensory disturbance, while prolonged seizures could cause further injury and, in some cases, be fatal.
Stephen and Kim are Zeke's full-time carers. (ABC Illwarra: Kelly Fuller)
'Forever home' under threat
Mr Taylor said the home was purchased and then extensively modified to meet his son's needs, and was always intended to be a long-term, stable place for him to live safely.
The Taylor family says widened doors, hoists and a rebuilt wet room were installed to support Zeke's daily care. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
"This was his forever home,"Mr Taylor said.
"If anything happened to us, he'd be safe and secure, and it met all his needs."
Ms Taylor said Zeke slept in the same room as she and her husband.
"If he hears a loud noise, he can have a seizure, so he has to be woken very gradually."
They modified the property to include a lift, widened doors, hoists, and a rebuilt wet room designed around Zeke's care.
The modifications to the house have meant the bedroom could be made larger to accommodate Zeke's bed so he can sleep beside his parents. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
"We have to watch Zeke 24-7," Ms Taylor said.
"When I'm in the kitchen, I can see him at all times.
"That big open space just works."
Land acquisition
The Taylors said they were told by realtors when they bought the property it was possible the government would acquire 20 metres of their land parallel to the road.
The family said a revised concept design for the Princes Highway upgrade shows the proposed corridor moving closer to the property to accommodate a service road, pedestrian and cycling links and construction and operational access requirements.
"Now it's like 90 metres or more, or about 3,000 square metres, that's a big difference,"Mr Taylor said.
Transport for NSW said the alignment remains subject to refinement through the environmental assessment process.
The family fears the new design will create changes in noise, light and vibration during construction, and when it is complete, that will affect Zeke's health.
"Headlights, strobe lights, flashing lights, that can all set him off," Ms Taylor said.
The ABC has also seen a second letter from another treating doctor warning prolonged exposure to dust could be "extremely detrimental" to Zeke's lung condition.
Stephen Taylor depicting how far back into the property the road is now expected to reach. (ABC Illwarra: Kelly Fuller)
The Taylors said they were not opposed to the road upgrade, but questioned why additional land was needed for the service road.
"You don't get pedestrians out here, maybe a handful of cyclists a year," Mr Taylor said.
Steven Taylor says the family is not opposing the highway upgrade, but wants the service road moved further from the house. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
Temporary offers unsuitable
The Taylors said compensation offers have not reflected the complexity of their home, arguing that market value payments would not allow them to rebuild something comparable.
They said offers of temporary accommodation during construction were also unsuitable, and included properties with stairs.
Zeke has a lift that allows him access in an out of the house. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
The Review of Environmental Factors for the project outlines that construction is expected to start in 2028 and take about three years to complete.
Project consultation and design documents for the Jervis Bay Road and Princes Highway intersection upgrade in 2021 indicate provision for service roads and associated pedestrian and cycling infrastructure within the broader concept design, without defining precise local alignments.
"We're an Indigenous family," Ms Taylor said.
"It feels like taking our land again."
View from the highway of the home as it is now. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
'Road outside my son's bedroom'
At a community cabinet meeting in Kiama last week, Mr Taylor had the chance to question Premier Chris Minns about the situation.
Stephen Taylor raised the family's concerns directly with Chris Minns during a community cabinet meeting in Kiama. (ABC Illwarra: Kelly Fuller)
"You're actually moving the service road 10 metres outside my son's bedroom," Mr Taylor told the premier, as he pleaded for changes to the design.
Mr Minns said major infrastructure projects often involved tensions between development and nearby residents, but agreed the family's concerns should be examined further and asked Roads Minister John Graham to speak to the family.
After the forum, Mr Graham spoke to the family and told them he would look into the issue.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said it was "committed to ongoing engagement with the local community and [would] continue to work through details of property acquisition directly with impacted residents".
The spokesperson said concept designs and environmental assessments were currently on public exhibition.
Kim Taylor says changes in noise, light and vibration could affect Zeke's health and trigger seizures. (ABC Illawarra: Kelly Fuller)
"We just want the road moved back a bit. It's not fair," Ms Taylor said.