Groups using the beleaguered Helston Community Centre have been granted a temporary reprieve after being told they can remain at the building until next spring.

Helston town council, which earlier this year decided to sell off the Penrose Road centre, has said the six months' notice it is required to give those running the premises will start in September.

User groups, who were originally told they would have to leave by the end of July, now have until next March to vacate the premises.

In a statement issued this week, the town council said "legal technicalities" meant the notice period would not start until September.

The council said it was keen to give users as much time as possible to find alternative venues, as well as giving businesses operating from the centre "every chance" to ensure they could continue to trade.

Helston mayor Niall Devenish said: "All the way through this, the council has taken great pains to ensure that we acted both legally and in the best long-term interests of the townspeople of Helston.

"The notices served have a statutory length, however, in order to give the groups affected as much time as possible, we have not rushed into the serving of them.

"Also, the twin track approach agreed by the council and followed through in our forthcoming meetings, ensures that no stone is left unturned in our search for a solution."

Council members are due to meet with representatives of some of the user groups later this month. A meeting has also been arranged with local MP Andrew George to discuss the issues surrounding the granting of a lease and to explore whether parliamentary access could be used to remove the current legal restrictions.

The council's decision to sell off the community centre provoked an outcry in the town. Hundreds of people attended a demonstration held to protest at the move and some 2,500 have signed petitions calling on the council to reverse its decision.

Some user groups have already moved out and others are preparing to vacate the premises.

One major casualty is Hillside Playgroup, based at the centre for some 30 years, which is closing at the end of July.

Leader Sari Pascoe said news of the temporary reprieve had come too late for the playgroup.

She said: "We have made the decision that we are closing at the end of the term and we have gone too far down the line to turn around.

"We could have carried on for another term but you have to offer parents something more secure than that. Everyone has lost confidence in the building."

Allan Healey, chairman of the Helston and District Community Association, said he was not surprised that the life of the centre had been extended.

"I was anticipating this all along," he said. "We knew they had to serve notice on us and they hadn't done that. I think the town council wanted to frighten people into moving. Some groups are already using other venues but there are a lot who can't move out. For them, and for us, it is business as usual."

The council decided to sell off the centre after the community association failed to meet legal requirements surrounding a new lease on the building.

Proceeds from the proposed sale will hopefully be used to build a new community centre in another part of the town.