By Local Democracy Reporter Jordan Ifield
British wrestler Jackie Pallo’s former Ramsgate home is once again up for debate as plans to flatten it for housing return.
Ozengell Farm was the home of the wrestling hero until his death from cancer in 2006, aged 80. His son, Jackie Jnr, and wife Trixie continued to live at the property. Trixie died in 2013.
The four-bed property was gutted by fire in March 2018, believed to have been deliberately set. Ramsgate and Margate crews were called to the site with 16 firefighters and four fire engines at the scene during the height of the blaze.
Mont Blanc Developments Ltd are planning to demolish the gutted property and build 6 new houses. The plans were previously refused in 2019 and an appeal was also dismissed in 2020.
Planning officers have recommended that the new plans are also refused due to road safety. The farmhouse is on Haine Road which is unlit and lacks a footpath, leaving pedestrians exposed to road traffic.
Commenting on the application KCC Highways said that the proposal was “essentially the same” as the one refused last year.
Two of the houses would be 3 bedroom, and the other 3 houses 4 bedroom.
The site has been troubled since the fire in 2018. It has become a source of fly tipping, vandalism, homelessness and a man was found dead at the property last year.
The farmhouse sits opposite to Grade II listed Ozengell Grange, built in 1711, but the house is not listed. A barn next to Ozengell Grange is also Grade II listed and was built between the 14th and 15th century.
Jackie Pallo dominated TV screens in the 60s and 70s in British wrestling’s heyday. He became British Heavy Middleweight Champion in 1969.
Thanet District Council’s planning committee will meet on Wednesday, August 18.
