The three main recreational areas at Ta’ Qali will be integrated into one as the national park will be extended by the equivalent of four football pitches in a three-year project.

The work on the €5.5 million job is expected to start in October and include a water park, a skate park, a butterfly house, an animal petting area and a toddler’s area.

This is the fifth extension of the site in the past seven years. The park is divided into three parts: the formal zone, the informal zone, which includes the picnic area, and the adventure park. Each zone is closed off by fencing.

Architect Mario Bonello said the project’s aim was to integrate all zones by removing fencing, roads and two parking areas.

Preliminary work includes upgrading a parking site to the north of the park and building a new parking area in front of the Farmers’ Market. This will increase the number of parking lots by more than 100 spaces, up to 1,030, over and above the parking spaces in front of the US Embassy.

The ring road encircling the whole area will be upgraded to include a 3.5-kilometre cycling and jogging track.

Traffic access from the Crafts Village will be improved and a new road leading to the park will be built, branching out from the road situated between Mdina and Mosta. The aim is to completely eliminate traffic from the central area.

The main entrance will be pedestrianised and a fountain will welcome patrons into the park.

The parking area in front of the present adventure park will be transformed into an open arena housing wooden skate park equipment.

The 19,500-metre square extension includes a water park with changing facilities and the existing large car park will be transformed into a toddlers’ area including a cycling track for children and a jogging track for parents.

A butterfly house will be built in the formal area and an application has been submitted for a petting farm one the site of the Crafts Village.

Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said the project would include 1,000 trees in addition to the existing 21,000 in the area.