Plans to convert the unused upper floors of the London Trocadero in Piccadilly into a three-star hotel have been approved.

The original application was deferred by Westminster Planning Committee in November 2007 due to concerns over materials, massing and bulk and the Shaftesbury Avenue façade, which will serve as the entrance to the new 476-room hotel.

London Trocadero worked with English Heritage as well as Westminster planning and design officers to revise the plans.

It is anticipated that the hotel, which will be operated by Accor Group’s Ibis division, will open before the 2012 Olympic Games.

A spokesperson for London Trocadero, Michael Hughes, said that the development would also have community benefits and that the limited company would contribute £500,000 towards Westminster Council’s Leicester Square regeneration programme.

“The hotel revitalises a significant amount of empty space inside the Trocadero,” he said. “But it is also important for us to look outside – to address further positive changes we can make in the wider area.

The project, designed by Sheppard Robson architects, will also include residential apartments and Sedum roofs, which improve air quality by producing oxygen.