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U2 record in threatened studio
Posted on Wednesday, January 30 @ 11:07:13 CET by Macphisto
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(BBC News) -- Rock stars U2 are continuing the fight to save their Dublin recording studio from demolition despite earlier appearing to back down in a battle with developers.
The Irish supergroup has started recording new material in the studio in the city's Hanover Quay area and are appealing to planning authorities to consider its heritage value.
They had expected to be offered a new site, but negotiations have broken down.
The band had invested heavily in the "music workshop", according to Trevor Bowen, a partner in the band's management company.
Confusion
Four albums had been recorded there over seven years, he said in a written statement to a public hearing in the city.
The new twist adds to the confusion over the studio's future.
The band originally submitted a nine-page written objection, arguing that a legacy of pop culture would be destroyed if the demolition was allowed to go ahead under a compulsory purchase order.
But then they released a statement saying that although that they would like to stay, "change is inevitable and often for the best".
The public hearing is due to end on Wednesday or Thursday, with planning authorities expected to make a decision by April 9.
Regeneration
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority plans to build a leisure development on the site.
The authority has set out its plans for regeneration of the area, explaining why it sought a compulsory purchase order for a number of buildings, including the studios.
The band members were not alone in objecting to the plan to construct a leisure, commercial and heritage site.
Three other parties have raised formal objections, including businessman Harrie Crosbie.
Character
Mr Crosbie said: "I think the authority is doing a wonderful job, but the human element cannot be forgotten.
"The character of the docks largely comes from people like me and - on a world scale - the U2 guys."
More than 2,000 fans signed an internet petition, in several languages, to save the recording studio.
One fan wrote: "I certainly believe that the Hanover Studios are as important as Sun Studios or Abbey Road."
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