Owner selling house that I rent from him - my status & options please?

In short, no.
You must pay for the whole year.
You might be able to reach some sort of compromise with the landlord, but legally, he has to pass on the contract to he new owners.
A 1-year fixed contract is just that. 1 year, and fixed.

If you want to make sure that the contract does not become a 3 year at the end of the 1 yr; you need to send him a letter by registered letter 3 months in advance saying that you do not want the contract to be extended and providing the date you will be moving out.