1995: The Office of Public Works plan for a Wicklow National Park visitor centre at Luggala was turned down because it would lead to an "unacceptable degradation" of the area's fragile ecology and landscape character as well as generating more traffic on mountain roads.
1995: Masonite's fibreboard manufacturing plant on the banks of the River Shannon at Drumsna, Co Leitrim, was approved because it would "create significant employment opportunities" in the region, in line with policies to facilitate the development of forest-based industry.
1996: Plans to demolish a listed 19th century grain store off Paul Quay, Wexford, to make way for apartments, offices and shops were rejected because the proposed demolition would result in an "unacceptable loss to the architectural heritage" of the town.
1996: Plans by Treasury Holdings Ltd for a 263-bedroom luxury hotel (the Westin) at College Street, Fleet Street and Westmoreland Street, Dublin, were approved because it would constitute "an appropriate form of development" for this important city-centre site.
1997: Despite national policy favouring the development of renewable energy sources, permission was refused for a wind turbine in a highly scenic area of Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands, because it would "constitute an obtrusive feature in the landscape".
1997: Minorco's plans to develop a lead and zinc mine at Lisheen, Co Tipperary, were approved having regard to national policy on mineral development and the county council's policy on extractive industries as well as "the interests of the common good".
1998: A plan to remodel and extend the former Great Southern Hotel in Mulranny, Co Mayo, overlooking Achill Sound, was rejected because of its "visually obtrusive" scale, design and layout as well as the removal of trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order.
1998: A peat-fired power station at Ballykilleen, near Edenderry, Co Offaly, was sanctioned by the board because it would make use of indigenous fuels located in close proximity and would not interfere with any important views or areas of high amenity.
1999: Plans drawn up by US architects Skidmore Owings and Merrill for a glazed skyscraper at George's Quay, Dublin, were rejected because its height and bulk would "detrimentally affect" the historic precincts of the Custom House and Trinity College.
1999: Plans for an 18-hole golf course, hotel and conference centre in the dunes of White Strand, Doonbeg, Co Clare, were approved because the scheme would represent an "appropriate balance" between environmental, social and economic considerations.
2000: A proposal to double the amount of retail space in the Liffey Valley shopping centre at Quarryvale, west Dublin, was turned down because the traffic it would generate was likely to create serious congestion on the M50 and the N4.
2000: The high-rise master plan by US-based Irish architect Kevin Roche for Spencer Dock, in the Docklands area of Dublin, was rejected because of unresolved transportation issues as well as its scale, bulk, mass and "inappropriate urban form".
2000: The long-running Mullaghmore visitor centre saga was brought to an end when the board refused permission for scaled-down facilities at the entry point to the Burren National Park, because of the danger of damaging the "core area" of the park.
2001: Plans by the President, Mrs McAleese, and her family for a lakeside home in Co Roscommon were turned down by An Bord Pleanála on the grounds that it would be "visually obtrusive" and posed an "unacceptable" risk of pollution.
2001: The board granted planning permission for a major mixed-use scheme by Fusano Properties Ltd for the west side of Smithfield in Dublin, subject to the omission of a 23-storey apartment tower "in order to reduce the visual impact of the development".
2001: The fate of Laraghcon, a prominently located site overlooking Lucan, in west Dublin, was sealed when the board finally approved plans for a major housing scheme - largely because the land had been rezoned for residential use in 1993, against planning advice.