Our neighbour has an "extension" which we can see the side of, which appears to have an external single wall of breeze blocks. You can tell it's breeze blocks, as the rendering on the outside has a mortar pattern of ... breeze blocks.
Is this standard/approved/regular for a UK build ?
Just curious, as a recent discussion about planning permission made me wonder if this was built without ?
there are now a lot of "permitted developments" which don't need planning permission. How does the mortar pattern on a wall identify it has having been built of breeze blocks? Could they be thrmatite blocks? or concrete blocks?
Next doorsd big kitchen - which did have planning permission used thermalite blocks (or the equivalent) under rendering - as does the room I am sitting in - built about 45 years ago.
If you are talking about a recent built, it won't be breeze blocks.
Wall has been there as long as us (15 years).
Are you using this as a generic term for "concrete blocks"? In the UK, the breeze block was a specific dense and very hard block made from clinker, developed (I think) for the post-WW2 building boom. I've drilled into quite a few, but have never bought one and I started buying concrete blocks in the mid 1970's.
How do you know it is single skin? They may be hollow, double thickness blocks which, rendered and plastered, were probably acceptable for some domestic construction a few decades ago.
There are different densities of blocks, some are quite light. I'm assuming the OP is using a generic term to cover all blocks of this size.
In the OP's case, any build, in this case wall, is permissible after a year or so as long as it's permitted development. Building control have one year to discover and insist the wall is brought up to standard. There are a few exceptions.
I was going to ask about the "statute of limitations", thanks for this. Not that I would try to game the system, of course!
I think in this case its two years:
Note that BR and PP are different things. The enforcement window for PP violations is longer - something like 4 years from (visible) completion of the build.
It's at least 15 years old, which I think is before extensions could be built without planning permission. The OP should search his local planning department's website to see if an application was made, although it is probably too late to do something about it, as others have pointed out, if it wasn't.
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