4.  The applicant company is a limited liability company with its seat in Ansfelden. 5.  On 3 May 2000 the applicant company applied to the Linz-Land District Administrative Authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft – DAA) for the permission to modify its facility site by constructing a loading zone and a noise protection wall. An oral hearing was held on 1 March 2001. 6.  On 12 July 2001 the applicant company lodged an application for transfer of jurisdiction, because the DAA had not rendered a decision within the statutory six-month time-limit. 7.  By decision of 23 July 2001 the DAA granted the applicant company permission to modify its facility site and dismissed the objections lodged by persons living in the vicinity of the site (hereinafter, “the neighbours”). 8.  On 18 December 2001 the Upper Austria Regional Governor (Landeshauptmann von Oberösterreich – hereinafter, “the Regional Governor”) lifted the DAA’s decision because of lack of jurisdiction, and on 19 December 2001 he dismissed the applicant company’s application for transfer of jurisdiction. 9.  The applicant company appealed against the latter decision, but its appeal was dismissed by the Federal Minister of Economy and Labour (Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Arbeit – hereinafter, the “Minister”) on 20 August 2002. 10.  The Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) lifted the Minister’s decision on 17 December 2002 and held that the Regional Governor was the competent authority to decide on the matter. 11.  On 16 October 2003 the Minister lifted the Regional Governor’s decision of 19 December 2001 and held that the latter was competent to decide on the merits of the applicant company’s case. 12.  Meanwhile, on 14 January 2002 the DAA had granted the applicant company permission to modify its facility site and dismissed the neighbours’ objections. 13.  On 22 December 2003 the Regional Governor lifted the DAA’s decision because of lack of jurisdiction, and granted the applicant company the permission. 14.  On 26 January 2004 the neighbours appealed against this decision to the Minister. 15.  On 1 September 2004 the applicant company filed an application for transfer of jurisdiction, because a decision had not been reached within the statutory six-month time-limit. 16.  On 7 September 2004 the Administrative Court ordered the Minister to take a decision within three months. On 11 November 2004, upon request by the Minister, it extended the time-limit by another six months. 17.  On 11 May 2005 the Administrative Court refused another request by the Minister for an extension of the time-limit and assumed jurisdiction. After having requested an additional statement from an official expert (Amtssachverständiger) on 14 October 2008, the Administrative Court dismissed the neighbours’ appeal as being unfounded by judgment of 1 July 2010 (served on the applicant company’s counsel on 28 July 2010).