MALIBU—Guitarist, David “The Edge” Evans who known as a member of the Irish rock group U2, was denied a plan to develop land in the Santa Monica Mountains region. Evans’ initial plan was to develop a compound that consisted of five luxury homes that overlooked the Malibu coastline that he named “Leaves In The Wind.”

California’s highest court rejected Evans request to reconsider a March ruling that stated his 2015 permit be granted by the California Coastal Commission because the land was not located near water. The California State Supreme Court decided last week not to review a lower court ruling, which denied approval to build on the land after the Sierra Club sued to prevent construction on the habitat. Lower courts argued that Evans was improperly granted the permits by the California Coastal Commission. The decision made back in March favored Evans opponent the Sierra Club. A panel of appellate judges found that the project’s proper permit authority was the County of Los Angeles, not the California Coastal Commission.

Evan’s proposal to develop his compound did create some controversy. While the design for the homes were expected to be eco-friendly, neighboring residents and local environmental groups were concerned about biological and visual effects on the sensitive habitat. Dean Wallraff who represented the Sierra Club stated that Evans’ idea to develop homes in that location would have been a “scar” on an untouched hillside as first reported by USA Today.

An article written by MaryAnn Webster, exposed the flaws and possible harm the development could do to the area. Her article which was published back in 2015 reads that the habitat would “be severely impacted by development” since the habitat is home to many mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, and other animals who would need undisturbed spacious undeveloped land to survive. Webster continued to say that, “structures built will require extensive resources for fire protection, costly and dangerous for both residents and firefighters,” since the location has been known for wildfires.

Evans must reapply through the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning if the star plans on pursuing the building process again.