A former seafront hotel that featured in the hit comedy Men Behaving Badly could be demolished and turned into luxury flats.

Roffey Homes, the firm behind the widely-acclaimed Warnes apartments complex, has tabled plans to redevelop the neighbouring Eardley Hotel in Worthing.

The building ceased trading as a hotel in 1988 and was used as an employment training centre until earlier this year.

The Eardley, overlooking Splash Point and the sea, is owned by the Clinch family, which also runs Chatsworth Hotel in Steyne Gardens, Worthing.

It was renamed the Groyne Hotel during the filming of an episode of the BBC comedy show Men Behaving Badly, which starred Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey.

Roffey said it wanted to recreate the original Victorian character of the building, which was constructed in 1868 as a terrace of private homes before being converted, 20 years later, into a hotel.

Neil Holland Architects in Arundel has drawn up the design, which the developer said closely matched the original.

Ben Cheal, managing director of Roffey, said it was not commercially viable to retain and repair the existing building or turn it back into a hotel.

Engineers discovered the facade was in need of major repairs due to substantial damage to the lime mortar brickwork and that new underpinning foundations would be required.

However, Mr Cheal said: "Every element of the building has been photographed so that it can be meticulously reproduced on the new development."

If planning permission is granted by the borough council, each of the proposed 36 two-bedroom apartments will have sea views and an underground garage.

The scheme was welcomed by Tony Malone, spokesman for the Worthing Society conservation group. He said the Eardley was not listed, although it was classed as a building of local importance.

He said: "The details we have seen so far are very impressive. Rather than just see the whole thing roll on for years and crumble into dust, I think it is a good move."

Architect Neil Holland said: "By taking this novel and very expensive approach to the development, we have sought to develop a design that reflects the original so closely that any initial sense of loss will be replaced by a feeling that the site has been preserved for generations to come."

Steyne Hotels, the company that owns the Eardley, approached Roffey Homes because it felt no other developer would be capable of undertaking such a complex project.

It said the decision was also based on Roffey Homes' proven commitment to Worthing as a locally-based company and its reputation for developing high quality buildings in the area such as the 72-apartment complex Warnes, which was built on the site of the fire-ravaged Warnes Hotel.

Steyne Hotels said it had tried to sell the Eardley unsuccessfully for several years.

The building had not been occupied since the previous tenants, Crown Agents, relocated to new premises in Worthing earlier this year.