Plans to demolish a Victorian school in Worthing and replace it with flats have been greeted with outrage.

We reported last month that John Horniman School, on the corner of Brighton Road and Park Road, is to close at the end of term and developers are due to submit an application to demolish the 19th Century building and replace it with 24 flats.

But the scheme has met with vehement opposition from nearby residents who believe the development will exacerbate parking problems.

The Worthing Society has sent a formal objection to Worthing Borough Council's planning committee, which is due to consider the application from architects Philip Andrews Associates on Tuesday.

A spokesman said: "The property appears to be in an excellent state of repair. Also, the rooms are substantial and dignified and, if sympathetically converted, could offer potential buyers apartments of the same quality as Beach House.

"Given this background and the quality of the building itself, this is an obvious and worthy candidate for sympathetic conversion into superior flats of high quality and should not face the indignity of the obliteration of its history by brutal demolition."

A spokesman for Philip Andrews Associates described the proposed development as providing "a counterpoint, reference and balance to a chaotic and rapidly-changing world where technology and information has the potential to overwhelm our place in the scheme of things".

John Horniman, founded in 1958, teaches 31 four to 11-year-olds with speech and learning difficulties. Most are expected to have completed their primary education by the end of term and the rest will go to other schools.

Opponents have signed a 90-name petition, which will be submitted to the council.