EACH year thousands of excited young people arrive in Glasgow from all over Scotland and the UK to take up a place at university and college.

In large part, the annual injection of intelligent teenagers anxious to soak up as much information as they can helps keep the city vibrant.

But for communities in the West End there is a growing concern which could at some point come to a head.

In the past, students from outwith the city aimed to get accommodation in halls of residence as they learned about their new home town.

After first year it was a free for all as they struggled to find a bed in a private rented flat which they could afford.

That sadly has resulted in young people living in overcrowded properties which are far from safe.

The global financial downturn presented developers with an opportunity to do something about the student accommodation problem.

House hunters could no longer get a mortgage to buy a home so many new developments in the city were put on ice.

Instead blocks of student flats began springing up on any suitable site in the West End.

That process has continued apace and last week the Evening Times revealed the latest purpose built block in Partick will be home to more than 400 students if city councillors give it the go-ahead.

It is only the latest to be built just a stone's throw from Glasgow University and local people are beginning to get increasingly anxious about the massive influx of young people.

Last year, the city council was told there is a substantial shortage of accommodation for young people at city universities.

There are 50,880 full-time students and 14,195 part-time students attending Glasgow, Strathclyde and Caledonian universities, Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The five main higher education institutions in the city offer accommodation for 6,219 students which is 10% of the total student population.

Everyone accepts they should have quality places to live but perhaps it is time for councillors to ask people living in the West End whether they are in favour of more developments getting the go-ahead.

Some local people have raised concerns about creating a student ghetto with the majority of shops, bars and restaurants aimed at young customers.

Others have already decided to vote with their feet and move elsewhere.

The West End is one of the city's gems but it needs an appropriate balance of the generations.

Councillors have a duty to accommodate our new arrivals but they also have a duty to consider householders who have lived in the area for years.