Plans to establish a new 495-bedroom 'pod' hotel at the Trocadero in London as part of an overhaul of the Grade II-listed property have been deferred by Westminster City Council.

According to Criterion Capital's proposals, the hotel is likely to be operated by French company Accor and will occupy part of the second to seventh floors in the building, offering en-suite rooms with an average size of 12 to 17sq m (129 to 183sq ft). The 'pod' hotel has been designed to provide high quality accommodation for both leisure and business customers, and could feature a breakfast bar at ground floor level and a bar and terrace area at eighth floor and roof level.

A report that went before council planners on 13 August said: "The size of the hotel is considered appropriate to the character and scale of the surrounding area, which has a mix of uses including a large number of entertainment uses. "The hotel will also provide affordable accommodation for visitors to this part of central London, which is considered welcome in view of the closure of the nearby Regents Palace Hotel in December 2006."

In addition to the 'pod' hotel, plans also include the removal of the Trocadero's IMAX cinema and refurbishment of another two-screen cinema to provide a new community arts space. Retail floor space will also be increased, although the existing multi-screen Cineworld facility will remain. Floor space above the third level of the Trocadero have remained unoccupied since the Segaworld indoor theme park established by Japanese video game company, Sega, withdrew from the premises.

No date has yet been set for the council to reconsider the proposals.