What is the meaning of SUSTAINABLE?

The UK Government is forcing local councils to view planning applications with "a presumption in favour of approval" providing that developments are "sustainable". So what is the meaning of "sustainable"?

In "Through the Looking Glass", Alice asked Humpty Dumpty the meaning of a word and his reply was "It means just what I choose it to mean!" and it seems that to those in Eric Pickles' Department of Community and Local Government "sustainable" comes into the same category.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council faces this problem because it has failed to have in place a local plan which meets the borough's housing targets. Richborough Estates intends to submit an application to build 117 houses on a this greenfield site on Baldwins Gate Farm. Despite all the relevant facts: that this would increase the size of the village by one third, that the school is already full, that there is no prospect of travel to work other than by car, that the sewerage system is already overloaded, that the main road through the village is well known for the number of accidents, and even that the field floods at times, they seem intent on claiming that the development is "sustainable".

Interestingly, the council DID have a plan at one time and, being very "green" in their attitudes, they set out what they see as "sustainable development"...

Sustainable development is at the heart of this Local Plan. It is enshrined in its general aim (see Introduction). Development that improves the quality of life for the residents of the area is to be encouraged so long as it is not to the detriment of the environment in other ways and does not harm the environment for future generations. The highest priority must be given to non-renewable resources: those things which if damaged or destroyed can never be replaced. All development decisions must be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny to ensure that the long term future is not sacrificed to short term expediency. This includes not only what is developed, but where development takes place. The pattern of development affects the way we behave; if we have to travel unnecessarily, we cause pollution and use more non-renewable resources. 

... Development that improves the quality of life for the residents of the area is to be encouraged [this does not improve the life of residents of the area which is why so many object] ... 

so long as it is not to the detriment of the environment in other ways and does not harm the environment for future generations. [It will harm the environment and will adversely affect future generations by destroying a village]... 

The highest priority must be given to non-renewable resources: those things which if damaged or destroyed can never be replaced [green fields are a none-renewable resource: once built on they cannot be returned to nature, something which the council has confirmed elsewhere]... 

All development decisions must be subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny to ensure that the long term future is not sacrificed to short term expediency [building on this green field would reduce the need to find brown-field places to build to reach the council's housing target. That, and bowing to government pressure, is sacrificing long-term future to short term expediency]. 

This includes not only what is developed, but where development takes place. The pattern of development affects the way we behave; if we have to travel unnecessarily, we cause pollution and use more non-renewable resources. [The village of Baldwins Gate is 5 miles from Newcastle-under-Lyme, the nearest main place of employment. Public transport would never be able to fulfil the commuting requirements of people living here. Currently there is 1 bus per hour on weekdays and Saturdays so, even if this were increased four-fold which would not be financially viable, for convenience of onward travel, commuters would still travel mainly by car - "causing pollution and using more non-renewable resources"].

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