The large numbers of students in Brighton and Hove has been discussed by experts as attempts to find solutions to some of the issues caused by “studentification” continues.

Speakers including Dr Darren Smith, from the University of Brighton and who coined the term studentification, answered questions from a panel of Brighton and Hove city councillors about students living in the area and gave examples of other cities which have had similar experiences.

The meeting at Hove town hall on Friday was also attended by residents and representatives from both Sussex and Brighton universities’ student unions.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Anne Meadows, who chaired the panel, said: “It was more challenging than the last meeting we had, as these people are experts so we were trying to delve a bit deeper into things.

“It was very much about getting extra information on some of the issues and we have now got a lot to take to the next meeting when council officers and police will attend.”

During the meeting, the panel heard about how other cities with large student populations have dealt with some of the issues.

Coun Meadows said: “Obviously one of the things we are looking at is best practice elsewhere, like Nottingham and Leeds, but we are also looking at places like Bath and Canterbury, in terms of size in relation to the city.

“The problem with bigger cities is they talk about building extra halls of residence, but they have got a lot of land to do that.

“But one of the challenges for us here in Brighton and Hove is how do you identify new land for halls of residence?”

The panel will hold two further meetings, on November 21 and December 5 Coun Meadows said: “We don’t want to rush the process as it deserves to be looked at from every angle.”