An Bord Pleanála (English: The Planning Board) is an independent statutory administrative tribunal that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007 The Planning Board directly decides major strategic infrastructural projects under the provisions of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006.[1] The Board also hears applications from local authorities for projects which would have a significant environmental impact. The Board was established by the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1976, provisions which have, for the most part, been carried over into the Planning and Development Act 2000.