Sustainability

Sustainable development is at the heart of Government policy in the planning system and enshrines a set of key principles that guide the development of planning policy and decision making. The Government's core policies for sustainable development are set out in PPS1 Delivering Sustainable Development, which summarises its aim as 'ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations' .

The four pillars of sustainable development are identified as being:

social progress which recognises the needs of everyone
effective protection of the environment
the prudent use of natural resources, and
the maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment

Key principles


	Sustainable development is at the heart of Government policy in the planning system and enshrines a set of key principles that guide the development of planning policy and decision making.

These principles feed through into every aspect of planning policy for aggregates, as they do for all other forms of development.

The definition of sustainability development that the Government has embraced was drawn up by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 and although there are now many such definitions, this summarises the overall approach:


	'Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to met their own needs.'

The Government set out its aims for sustainable development in its 1999 White Paper - 'A Better Quality of Life' and this has fed into planning policies and the legislative framework since that time.

Sustainable development is a concept endorsed at the European and global level, with the EU's Declaration on Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development, 2005.

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