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Plans to flatten the abandoned and fire-ravaged home of a former wrestling star are set to be rejected.
Ozengell Farm, the old Ramsgate residence of Jackie ‘Mr TV’ Pallo, was severely damaged in a blaze three years ago and has stood derelict ever since.
In an effort to regenerate the site in Haine Road, Mont Blanc Developments Ltd has drawn up a proposal to demolish the farmhouse and replace it with six new homes.
It launched a bid in 2019 but Thanet District Council refused the plans, and a subsequent appeal also proved fruitless.
Now, a second application to get planning permission has been recommended for refusal.
Council officers are unimpressed with safety measures which would see pedestrians have to walk in the carriageway along the unlit 60mph Haine Road and Manston Road to reach the nearest bus stops and other amenities in the area.
Developers say road upgrades brought about the surrounding 785-home Manston Green scheme will improve matters.
Yet, with that project only having outline permission - and with the first phase of work having to start by October this year before planning permission lapses - there is no guarantee it will go ahead.
A report compiled by Thanet planning officers outlines the Ozengell Farm as being “unsustainable” and as “likely to have a significant impact on highway safety”.
With a recommendation to refuse the scheme, councillors on the authority’s planning committee will discuss and vote on the proposals on Wednesday.
The neglected farmhouse, which sits opposite the Grade II-listed Ozengell Grange and a 15th century barn, has become a hotbed for fly-tipping and attracted rough sleepers.
Wrestler Jackie Pallo, who died aged 80 in 2006, previously lived at the property.
The sports star, who became British Heavy Middleweight Champion in 1969, was a pioneering entertainer who brought glam into grappling from the early 1960s.
He dominated television’s wrestling coverage on Saturday afternoons for years, and delighted legions of fans around the UK and beyond.
After his death, the house was lived in by his son, Jackie Junior, and wife, Trixie, who died in 2013.
It was put on the market in 2017 but the following year much of it was destroyed by a fire. Four engines and 16 firefighters attended the blaze, which was treated as suspicious.
Then, last year, an urban explorer from Canterbury made a heartbreaking discovery when he found a dead body inside the crumbling building.
It was thought the body of the man had been there for about a fortnight. The cause of death was unknown, yet police were not treating the death as suspicious.
Should councillors go against the planning officer’s recommendation and approve the project, two of the homes would be three-bed properties while the others will boast four beds.
The report does highlight positives in the plans, such as creating employment during construction and resulting in an increase in the use of local services.
Yet, overall it is considered the public benefits of the scheme “would be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the harm”.
Additional reporting by Jordan Ifield, Local Democracy Reporter
