U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge have won a four year legal battle to modernise the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, which is owned by the rockstars.

Following approval from Ireland's Planning Board, the hotel will be gutted and re-constructed, including a considerable expansion, as part of a $235million re-development.

The modernisation, which will see the number of rooms increased to 166, will be overseen by the British architect Lorn Norman Foster.

The victory ended conservationist's lengthy battle to halt the re-development, along with initial hesitation from the Irish government's environmental department.

In a statement, Bono and The Edge called the verdict “great news for Dublin and Temple Bar (the neighbouring district) in particular.”

As previously reported, permission has already been granted for a U2 tower in the city, which will become Ireland's tallest building once construction is completed in 2012.

(by Jason Gregory)