Demolition begins to make way for multi-million-pound construction of UK’s first sustainable Passivhaus hotel

Dramatic video shows the progress of an eight-week demolition project to turn an old cliff-side hotel into a sustainable complex. The drone footage (click to play above) captures what the building site looks like, four weeks into the project to knock down the Cliffemount Hotel in Runswick Bay.

The entire process, which is being led by Stainforth Construction, has been given an expected completion date of October 11.

The multi-million-pound construction will be turned into the UK’s first Passivhaus hotel - an international design standard for energy efficient buildings. Through construction, insulation and ventilation, these buildings maintain a constant temperature, requiring little additional heating or cooling. 

In 2022, the hotel – once a popular destination - closed and was sold to the Fojt family, who have strong links to Runswick Bay. It was announced the following year that the family intended to demolish the old hotel and rebuild Cliffemount as a new 20 sea-view room hotel, pub and restaurant.

The family intends to follow strict design and building regulations set by The Passivhaus Trust while rebuilding the hotel. If successful, the new Cliffemount would be the first hotel in the UK to achieve Passivhaus accreditation.