Group backs Bono development project

DUBLIN, Ireland, July 26 (UPI) -- A hotel development project in Dublin, Ireland, organized by U2 lead singer Bono may move forward despite criticism, a planning authority has ruled. Ireland's An Board Pleanala authority ruled that the singer, whose real name is Paul David Hewson, and U2 guitarist The Edge, real name David Howell Evans, can continue with their major renovation plans for Dublin's Clarence Hotel, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. Evans and Hewson, who was born in Ireland, had faced criticism from heritage groups for their nearly $240 million plan to add a glass roof atrium to the famed hotel. The planning group ruled that the redevelopment can only take place if the facades of six nearby buildings are unaffected by the project. The Telegraph said the U2 stars, who have been aided in their construction... [read full story]