FINAL bids from the three firms hoping to restore and convert Mote House, Maidstone, have been presented to councillors.

A decision on the future of the historic building in Mote Park was due to be made this month but has now been delayed to allow members of the council's cabinet time to consider each of the applications. The successful bidder is expected to be announced on February 12.

Councillors face a choice between Try Homes, Palace Estates and the Raven Group. Try Homes plans to convert the house and its grounds into apartments and houses.

Palace Estates would turn the house into a 120-room hotel and would use the stables as a new home for Maidstone's Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum. It would build sheltered housing in the walled garden.

The Raven Group proposes a mix of residential and recreational use, with the lower floors turned into a cafe, restaurant and exhibition area. It would create a new public garden, could store carriages from the Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum and would build houses on the site.