Description

This determination arises from the decision of the authority to refuse to grant a building consent for a house because it considered that the documentation submitted with the consent application was insufficient to satisfy the authority that the proposed building would comply with certain clauses of the Building Code. The matter to be determined is therefore whether the authority's decision to refuse to issue a building consent is correct. In deciding that matter, it must be considered whether the documentation supporting the consent application is adequate considering the particular type of construction used in this proposed house. The authority's concerns about the consent documentation primarily relate to the straw bale wall system in regard to its structure, durability, and resistance to external and internal moisture ingress. The following aspects of the proposal are therefore associated with the matter to be determined: the weathertightness of the straw bale wall system; the structure of the building, including of the straw bale wall system; and the durability of the straw bale wall system. This determination is limited to the matter described above, and may comment on but does not form conclusions as to the code compliance of the proposal.