diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockBase.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockBase.php
index ba1026b5564..68745432a3d 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockBase.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockBase.php
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ abstract class BlockBase extends ContextAwarePluginBase implements BlockPluginIn
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
-  public function access(AccountInterface $account) {
+  public function access(AccountInterface $account, $return_as_object = FALSE) {
     // @todo Remove self::blockAccess() and force individual plugins to return
     //   their own AccessResult logic. Until that is done in
     //   https://www.drupal.org/node/2375689 the access will be set uncacheable.
@@ -129,7 +129,9 @@ abstract class BlockBase extends ContextAwarePluginBase implements BlockPluginIn
     else {
       $access = AccessResult::forbidden();
     }
-    return $access->setCacheable(FALSE);
+
+    $access->setCacheable(FALSE);
+    return $return_as_object ? $access : $access->isAllowed();
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockPluginInterface.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockPluginInterface.php
index a42027e10c5..10ec23ef2c3 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockPluginInterface.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Block/BlockPluginInterface.php
@@ -46,13 +46,19 @@ interface BlockPluginInterface extends ConfigurablePluginInterface, PluginFormIn
    *
    * @param \Drupal\Core\Session\AccountInterface $account
    *   The user session for which to check access.
+   * @param bool $return_as_object
+   *   (optional) Defaults to FALSE.
    *
-   * @return \Drupal\Core\Access\AccessResultInterface
-   *   An access result object instantiated and configured by the block plugin.
+   * @return bool|\Drupal\Core\Access\AccessResultInterface
+   *   The access result. Returns a boolean if $return_as_object is FALSE (this
+   *   is the default) and otherwise an AccessResultInterface object.
+   *   When a boolean is returned, the result of AccessInterface::isAllowed() is
+   *   returned, i.e. TRUE means access is explicitly allowed, FALSE means
+   *   access is either explicitly forbidden or "no opinion".
    *
    * @see \Drupal\block\BlockAccessControlHandler
    */
-  public function access(AccountInterface $account);
+  public function access(AccountInterface $account, $return_as_object = FALSE);
 
   /**
    * Builds and returns the renderable array for this block plugin.
diff --git a/core/modules/block/src/BlockAccessControlHandler.php b/core/modules/block/src/BlockAccessControlHandler.php
index 6160f84bb01..6ec53f67eab 100644
--- a/core/modules/block/src/BlockAccessControlHandler.php
+++ b/core/modules/block/src/BlockAccessControlHandler.php
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ class BlockAccessControlHandler extends EntityAccessControlHandler implements En
       }
       if ($this->resolveConditions($conditions, 'and') !== FALSE) {
         // Delegate to the plugin.
-        $access = $entity->getPlugin()->access($account);
+        $access = $entity->getPlugin()->access($account, TRUE);
       }
       else {
         $access = AccessResult::forbidden();
diff --git a/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTest.php b/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTest.php
index 53d1e5736aa..5c8d900dfd4 100644
--- a/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTest.php
@@ -436,4 +436,18 @@ class BlockTest extends BlockTestBase {
     $this->assertIdentical(NULL, Block::load($block->id()));
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Tests the block access.
+   */
+  public function testBlockAccess() {
+    $this->drupalPlaceBlock('test_access', ['region' => 'help']);
+
+    $this->drupalGet('<front>');
+    $this->assertNoText('Hello test world');
+
+    \Drupal::state()->set('test_block_access', TRUE);
+    $this->drupalGet('<front>');
+    $this->assertText('Hello test world');
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTestBase.php b/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTestBase.php
index 0aabffaa534..1f3cb74c2e5 100644
--- a/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/block/src/Tests/BlockTestBase.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ abstract class BlockTestBase extends WebTestBase {
    *
    * @var array
    */
-  public static $modules = array('block', 'filter', 'test_page_test', 'help');
+  public static $modules = array('block', 'filter', 'test_page_test', 'help', 'block_test');
 
   /**
    * A list of theme regions to test.
diff --git a/core/modules/block/tests/modules/block_test/src/Plugin/Block/TestAccessBlock.php b/core/modules/block/tests/modules/block_test/src/Plugin/Block/TestAccessBlock.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b3ed511e7b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/block/tests/modules/block_test/src/Plugin/Block/TestAccessBlock.php
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains \Drupal\block_test\Plugin\Block\TestAccessBlock.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\block_test\Plugin\Block;
+
+use Drupal\Core\Block\BlockBase;
+use Drupal\Core\Plugin\ContainerFactoryPluginInterface;
+use Drupal\Core\Session\AccountInterface;
+use Drupal\Core\State\StateInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Provides a block to test access.
+ *
+ * @Block(
+ *   id = "test_access",
+ *   admin_label = @Translation("Test block access")
+ * )
+ */
+class TestAccessBlock extends BlockBase implements ContainerFactoryPluginInterface {
+
+  /**
+   * Tests the test access block.
+   *
+   *
+   * @param array $configuration
+   *   The plugin configuration, i.e. an array with configuration values keyed
+   *   by configuration option name. The special key 'context' may be used to
+   *   initialize the defined contexts by setting it to an array of context
+   *   values keyed by context names.
+   * @param string $plugin_id
+   *   The plugin_id for the plugin instance.
+   * @param mixed $plugin_definition
+   *   The plugin implementation definition.
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\State\StateInterface $state
+   *   The state.
+   */
+  public function __construct(array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition, StateInterface $state) {
+    parent::__construct($configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition);
+
+    $this->state = $state;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public static function create(ContainerInterface $container, array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition) {
+    return new static(
+      $configuration,
+      $plugin_id,
+      $plugin_definition,
+      $container->get('state')
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  protected function blockAccess(AccountInterface $account) {
+    return $this->state->get('test_block_access', FALSE);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function build() {
+    return ['#markup' => 'Hello test world'];
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function isCacheable() {
+    return TRUE;
+  }
+
+}
+