The band announced plans in June to demolish their two-storey recording studio at Hanover Quay and replace it with a visitor and exhibition centre, the equivalent of four storeys in height.
The new building would be almost three times the size of the old studio, housing an exhibition centre dedicated to the band’s history and a reconstruction of the original studio, along with a shop and cafe.
The council said the design of the new building “could be described has a brutalist and contemporary interpretation of the existing structure and the influence of U2 at this prominent Dockland site”.
However it said it had “serious concerns about the height of the proposed building”. While the application was for a three-storey building, over a basement, the building would be the equivalent of four storeys over ground because of a double-height second floor level. This could have a negative impact on a nearby residential building which is currently under construction, and could block natural light from these homes and future residents.
