AS we have written in this column before, Pride in Worcester is a difficult concept to explain.

It will mean different things to different people - for us, it stems from our environment and a sense of the city's vibrant history.

An understanding of both is needed when examining proposals that will change the face - and the national profile - of the Faithful City.

There have been a fair few false dawns over the years, with most city residents yearning for something that might erase memories of the Rape of Worcester - the calamitous 1960s demolition of what are now regarded as vital architectural gems.

Today's Evening News contains extensive details on University College Worcester's plans for the old Worcester Royal Infirmary site.

The proposals certainly are impressive - a circular library and learning centre on the corner of Croft Road and Castle street, a conference centre, plaza-style walkways, modern student accommodation blocks - the list goes on.

The development will be a mix of new buildings and sympathetic restoration - with the original 1797 infirmary and 1849 chapel both retained and incorporated into the new campus.

We welcome these ambitious plans and hope that, in time, UCW's status and profile as a centre of learning excellence will be similarly enhanced.

City people should, then, begin to feel the energy from this project feeding their self-esteem and bolstering that most intangible of concepts - Pride in Worcester.