Work has started on the conversion of a former youth centre into flats.

Plans for five apartments at 24 Marine Place in Worthing were announced in March to house more people in the town amid a “severe shortage of social housing”.

Now, contractors have begun working at the site to provide a mixture of one-bedroom and studio flats.

Homes England gave Worthing Borough Council £400,000 towards the costs of the project to convert the council’s empty offices there.

READ MORE: Office building to be turned into 52 flats

The building was previously used as a youth drop-in centre until 2021. Most recently, it was used as a winter night shelter for homeless people. It is currently unoccupied.

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said: “We’re currently having to house well over 200 local households away from Worthing because of a severe shortage of social housing here.

“While some of those households are staying in flats or houses in other parts of West Sussex, some are having to be housed outside the county - many miles away from their jobs, their children’s schools and their families and friends.”

The council hopes that the flats will be ready for new tenants in the summer of next year.