U2’s The Edge in row over Malibu home plans

U2 guitarist The Edge is locked in a dispute with Californian authorities over plans to build five new luxury homes near Malibu, with officials claiming they would harm the local environment.

The star – real name David Evans – wants to build the houses on a ridge in the hills overlooking Malibu up the Pacific coast from Los Angeles, and has set up a website boasting they are environmentally-friendly.

But the California Coastal Commission has filed a report recommending that the planning applications be rejected when they go before local lawmakers next week.

The body says the homes would violate state law by ruining a wild area and scarring hillsides visible from Pacific Coast Highway, the road that offers spectacular views all the way up to San Francisco.