I would also like to extend my kitchen out into the garden. I would like to build on the party wall as otherwise, the wall inside my new kitchen where the kitchen units would need to go would step in half way along and would look odd.
I have 3 questions....
1...Most of the section of party wall that I would like to replace, is in fact the back wall of my concrete shed, which was built with the house 60 years ago. Infact I think a bit of the concrete roof of my shed overhangs the party wall into my neighbours side (and has done so for 60 years) Does this give me any more rights to the wall? Amn't I just effectively replacing a shed with a kitchen on the same footprint?
2....Come to think of it, all the walls are original corpo built and as such are fairly bomb proof. Subject to a survey etc, could I actually reuse the existing wall, and just insulate it on my side, add a few blocks on top etc?
3.....Final question... If my neighbour refuses, and I then build up to but not on the existing wall, and then next year my neighbour also decides he wants a similar extension, what's to stop him removing the party wall and putting his new wall there and hence getting the few vital extra inches that he denied me? I could not tell what he is doing as the job would be going on behind my new wall and wouldn't it be petty of me to object to something I can't even see?
I haven't approached my neighbours yet, so maybe they'll be grand about it, but I'd like to have my facts straight first.