U2 Star The Edge Causes Property Fuss In Malibu

The rocker, real name David Evans wants to build five homes atop a hill high above the seaside town, but his hopes are being challenged by locals, who fear the building will ruin the local environment.

And the proposal has upset locals who live in the exclusive Serra Retreat neighbourhood; these include DICk Van Dyke, Kelsey Grammer and James Cameron.

Malibu councillor Jefferson Wagner tells the Los Angeles Times newspaper, "The downside of this is a permanently scarred mountainside for the benefit of a very few that for many years all will view.

"For somebody so revered even to be orchestrating this type of development in such a sensitive area is hypocritical."

But The Edge's representative, Jim Vanden Berg, fires back, explaining the Irish star and his partner are taking pains to ensure that the development will create a sense of place that respects the environment (and) architecture that will stand the test of time."