A PROJECT to restore a pair of unique turbines which once powered a Bishopstoke mill is set to be resurrected four years after a similar bid fell by the wayside.

The Armfield turbines - believed to be the only ones of their type still surviving in the UK - are housed in a dilapidated corrugated iron building above the River Itchen on the corner of Riverside and Bishopstoke Road.

Plans to display the restored machinery in a new building at the Shears Road site, owned by Eastleigh Council, floundered when a bid for cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund failed.

Bishopstoke Parish Council has stepped forward in a bid to spearhead a fresh effort to get the old and historically valuable turbines back in working order.

Members want to put them on display in a more appropriate building which would allow people to see both the machinery and the river beneath.

The village authority said there had been a mill in Bishopstoke since 1086 and the River Itchen remained a central feature of the Bishopstoke conservation area.

The turbines, which were manufactured in Ringwood, ceased working when the old mill was demolished in the 1960s.

Parish clerk Peter Storey said: "Such is the interest from those who were involved previously, plus newcomers to the area and the council, that the parish council has decided to pick up the stick and run with it again."

Last time it was Eastleigh Council that applied for lottery cash but Mr Storey confirmed that a fresh bid would be made by the parish council.

Councillors will be meeting the Bishopstoke Society and other interested parties to develop an action plan and say they will also be seeking help and advice from other parties in due course.

The parish council has appealed to anyone who can help either practically or financially to contact Mr Storey on 01794 389220.