A planetarium and science museum or a space industry training centre could be ways to finally crack the deadlock on how to spend just over £100,000 of cash in Helston.

These are among suggestions given by the public following a plea for ideas from the town council.

Councillors have been struggling to find a way to legally spend the £106,000 ever since the sale of the Passmore Edwards Institute at 3 Penrose Road - later Helston County Secondary School and then a community centre - to CAST in 2012.

The money represents two thirds of the sale proceeds, which carry heavy restrictions.

In August the council asked for the public's ideas on how the money could be used to comply with these restrictions, which must involve "technical and industrial instruction and training".

Various suggestions such as adding disabled parking bays in the town centre and planting trees would not conform, but there were some with potential for success.

Among them was to buy specified land on which to build a planetarium and science museum, linking with Goonhilly Earth Station and creating a unique selling point for Helston to draw visitors.

Another, to build a state of the art Innovation Centre to train people in cutting edge technology such as the space industry, also had potential to fit the criteria, as would buying land from a local school or college to develop a wing for technical training such as engineering, provided the school was legally able to sell its land.

The suggestion with perhaps the most compliance was to buy specified property in an arrangement with CAST, with the trust then renovating the building to create an institution that would meet requirements.

At their last meeting councillors discussed all the options in private and agreed to look at taking one further, although it has not been revealed which one at this stage due to details being commercially sensitive.

It is understood town clerk Chris Dawson hopes to update councillors with more information at their October meeting.

The problem finding a project has arisen because in 1897 John Peverell Rogers transferred a piece of land to Helston Borough Council, on which to build an "institution for promoting technical and industrial instruction and training", giving restrictions for its use under an Act of Parliament.

Rather than a covenant, which can be removed through an application to the Land Registry, removal of these restrictions would require an amendment to the Act itself.

After several failed attempts at finding a use or changing the law the council travelled to London last year with MP Derek Thomas, to meet with government ministers.

Here it was suggested the council looks for a Localism Order to change or repeal part of the law - but to do so must show that is has exhausted all the different options.

If any above projects are taken forward and found feasible, however, such an order would not be necessary.