BRIGHTON and Hove, especially in the blazing sunshine we are currently blessed with, must be a wonderful place to be a student.

Studying at one of two great institutions sure is a draw but only the most workaholic student could even pretend that their eye isn’t also drawn to the incredible nightlife, culture, beach and other fun that this wonderful city offers.

And while they get all that as part of their deal in coming to the city, they also give the city a lot in return.

Not just in the pennies they hand over to our businesses during the stay, but also in the businesses, jobs, ideas and creativity they spawn once Brighton fever has taken hold of them and they never want to leave.

Unfortunately, that trade-off isn’t without its complications and this is felt hardest in homing 35,000 students in a city where there are already more than 20,000 on housing waiting lists.

It is a pressure that is building with residents reaching the end of their tether over anti-social behaviour. Both of our city’s universities are making huge advances and to lack ambition now will see them overtaken by rivals.

But that expansion cannot come at the exasperation of residents and the situation cannot be seen as a battle for housing, a battle for resources between rival clans of residents and students. Integration between students and residents can be a wonderful thing and unlikely relationships strike up over the garden fence. But we also have to be realistic as their lives can be very different.

That’s why student expansion should be welcomed in Brighton and Hove but on the proviso that it is an expansion within university campuses and not among our packed city streets.

It must fall on the universities to find space for their rising number of students. The city council and the universities must work together so they can expand and keep residents living on campus.