Sussex County Cricket Club could save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year under plans to rebuild its ground.

The club wants to build a five- storey block of offices and flats on one corner of its Hove stadium to stem annual losses of around £300,000.

The south-west stand would be replaced by a new partially-covered stand for 1,600 people and a new landscaped entrance to the grounds would be created.

A two-storey pavilion with a conference centre able to host weekly functions for up to 270 people would be built at the sea end of the ground with more seats than the existing Gilligan Stand.

Chief executive Hugh Griffiths said: "The existing facilities are, to put it mildly, disappointing. They all need to be renovated or replaced."

He said the five-storey block would be built on land behind the new south-west stand, currently occupied by a disused indoor cricket school that was built in the Seventies.

The redevelopment, first planned in 2002, would be funded with an £11 million legacy left to the club by its late former president Spen Cama.

Mr Griffiths said: "The money would pay for the flats and offices to be built. Then, when the flats are sold, the money will come back to us, allowing us to build the other facilities which would secure the long-term existence of the club.

"We are losing around £300,000 every year to maintain our professional squad and keep playing at the highest level."

He said the club would go out of business within 25 years unless a reliable source of extra income could be created.

Architect Richard Morrice, of Miller Bourne in Hove, drew up the plans for the redevelopment and said officers at Brighton and Hove City Council had indicated the scheme has a good chance of gaining planning permission.

He said: "They have been quite positive towards it but the test will be when the application goes in. A lot of the facilities we are replacing are run down, such as the existing Gilligan Stand and the south-west stand, which doesn't have good sight lines.

"The replacement stand would have the same capacity but better views of the wicket."

He said the planning application had not yet been submitted and there was no way of knowing how long it would take to gain permission.

He said: "The construction time would probably be around 18 months so there would probably be disruption to a season."

Ron Richardson, 75, moved into a flat overlooking the pitch so he could watch matches at home and is worried his view will be blocked by the new pavilion.

He said: "It's very difficult for me to agree with what they say because of their £11 million legacy. They are talking as if they are a poor club that desperately needs money to keep going."