Planning Policy Wales - Brecon Beacons National Park

4.1 A commitment to sustainable development
4.1.1 The Welsh Ministers will promote sustainable development, the goal of which is, to “enable
all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without
compromising the quality of life of future generations 1 .”
4.1.2 Sustainable development in Wales 2 means enhancing the economic, social and
environmental well-being of people and communities, achieving a better quality of life for our own
generations in ways which:
• promote social justice and equality of opportunity; and
• enhance the natural and cultural environment and respect its limits - using only our fair share of
the earth’s resources and sustaining our cultural legacy.
4.1.3 This commitment is based upon a duty under Section 79 of the Government of Wales
Act 2006. Welsh Ministers are required to make, keep under review, and revise a sustainable
development scheme setting out how they propose to promote sustainable development in the
exercise of their functions. This duty was first introduced by Section 121 of the Government of
Wales Act 1998. One Wales: One Planet : The Sustainable Development Scheme of the Welsh
Assembly Government (2009) outlines the commitments the Assembly Government will make towards
sustainable development, the principles it will observe and some of the processes it will apply in
promoting sustainable development in all its work. The Sustainable Development Action Plan details
how the Welsh Assembly Government will implement the commitments in the scheme.
4.1.4 The Welsh Ministers are promoting sustainable development:
• by placing sustainability at the heart of their decision-making processes;
• by working with others, such as local government, businesses, Assembly Government Sponsored
Public Bodies (AGSPBs), Executive Agencies and the voluntary sector;
• through specific policy actions; and especially
• through their strategic policies, Planning Policy Wales being one of these.
4.1.5 The Welsh Assembly Government, alongside the UK Government, the Scottish Government
and Northern Ireland Administration have agreed on a set of shared UK principles that will help us
achieve our sustainable development purpose 3 :
• living within environmental limits: by setting out a pathway to using only our fair share of
the earth’s resources and becoming a One Planet nation within the lifetime of a generation;
• ensuring a strong, healthy and just society: our focus on how a sustainable approach
will improve the quality of life and well-being of the people of Wales and especially those in our
less well-off communities;
• achieve a sustainable economy: by setting out how we want to transform our economy so
that it is low carbon, low waste;
Planning Policy Wales Edition 3 - July 2010 - Chapter 4 Planning for Sustainability
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