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Singer Bono and guitarist The Edge of U2 have won a legal battle to redevelop Dublin's Clarence hotel and turn it into a new landmark.

The band members own the hotel and have drawn up a €150 million (£118.5 million) plan that will see the establishment redesigned by renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster.

Some 166 rooms will be made available and the futuristic landmark's features will include a floodlit glass atrium.

The plans have proved controversial with heritage campaigners, who said that the development contradicted Ireland's conservative planning laws and would also adversely affect the visual appeal of the Temple Bar area.

Ireland's planning authority, the An Bord Pleanala, appeared to disagree with the objections, however, and gave the green light to the proposals.

Following the approval, the U2 stars said in a statement put out by the Clarence hotel: 'We believe it's great news for Dublin and for Temple Bar in particular, where we've been working for over 20 years and where a hotel has been trading on the Clarence site for 177 years.'

Bono and The Edge bought the hotel in 1992 and turned it into a five-star establishment. Guests have included former US president Bill Clinton and international rock stars.

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