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A group of schoolkids asked the City of Surrey for permission to build gingerbread houses — and were surprised when officials responded by granting them a building permit.

A Grade 1 class at Bayridge Elementary was planning to a build a community of gingerbread houses at the school. In the name of due diligence, teacher Monique van Teunenbroek suggested the kids apply to the City of Surrey for a permit.

In a letter written in green-and-red ink, the students wrote:

“We are asking permission to build a community of gingerbread houses in the Bayridge neighbourhood on Friday, December 15 of this year. We will not cut down any trees and we will not need to buy any land. We will use 6 crackers (graham), candies, icing, and chocolate. Some of them will disappear and only crumbs will be left.” Tweet This

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In a letter dated Dec. 15, the City of Surrey’s building division told the students that their request had been approved and a building permit had been issued.

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The permit included a restrictive covenant that stated the home must be “constructed of candy only” and “must be cute and delicious!”

The city also insisted that the kids “ensure there is access for Santa and his reindeers” and the project would be subject to a “final taste-testing inspection.”

Van Teunenbroek said she wanted the permit application to be a bit of a civics lesson for her students and was thrilled by the city’s response.