17 April 2012 Last updated at 09:19 ET

Whalley Hydro to build hydro-electric generator

A community project to build an electricity-generating water mill in Lancashire has been granted planning permission.

Whalley Community Hydro Limited will now build a power house at Whalley Weir on the River Calder.

It will use a fish-friendly Archimedes screw to generate power from the movement of the river.

This power will then be sold back to the National Grid, allowing the group to invest in other green projects.

Graham Sowter, from the group, said the turbine would generate about £90,000 of electricity a year.

"It's quite an impressive scheme when it gets going," he said.

There has been a weir at Whalley for about 600 years and it is believed to date back to the founding of Whalley Abbey.

Construction on the new building is due to start in spring next year.