WHILE the continued expansion of the University of Worcester has a Marmite effect on its campus neighbours, it cannot be denied that it is becoming one of our city’s economic powerhouses.

Yesterday, yet another university building opened as the new science laboratories were given their first public airing.

The Charles Darwin Building houses teaching and research facilities and will also be home to the university-based National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit.

This is the body that provides pollen count forecasts for the UK – the information we all see on the television weather forecasts during the spring and summer months.

The new building is hugely impressive and shows again the vision behind the accelerated expansion of the university in recent years.

The recently-opened fine arts centre off Hylton Road, the city centre campus on the former Royal Infirmary site, the library and history centre in the Butts, and the embryonic plans for the Grove Farm site all indicate an exciting future for both the university and Worcester.

We know and understand the concerns expressed by some people who live near the St John’s campus.

Most university cities have a town and gown divide. Our impression is the University of Worcester is more community-conscious that most. But there is still work to be done and compromises to be reached.

Overall, though, we still believe the future prosperity of Worcester is partly reliant on the success of the university. And the signs are good for both.