Crystal Palace Park is set to have a huge £17.5m regeneration – including the park's beloved dinosaurs and the islands they sit upon.

A specialist team led by HTA Design will deliver the next major restoration works, which will see widespread improvements across the park in the coming years, including the restoration of some of the most beloved historical sites in the park.

This £17.5m project includes the restoration of the Grade I listed Crystal Palace dinosaurs and the landscaping around their island, as well of the regeneration of the Italian Terraces that will become an “amazing space to host community events”.

There will also be significant improvements to the Lower Paxton axis of the park by the Penge entrance, including a new playground.

The park will receive funds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund's latest round of grant funding, which will go towards the dinosaurs' restoration.

The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs are a series of sculptures of dinosaurs and other extinct animals (incorrect by modern standards) which were unveiled in 1854 as the first dinosaur sculptures in the world.

The additional funding for this is coming from a number of sources, including the sale of residential developments coming forward next to the park, in accordance with the regeneration plan.

The lead consultant and landscape architects for this stage of the regeneration plan will be HTA Design, which will lead a team of specialist multidisciplinary consultants.

Bromley Council says HTA has significant experience in high-profile public realm and park restoration projects, including the award-winning transformation of Cator Park in Greenwich.

This is another key milestone in the wider £52m regeneration plan, which received outline planning permission earlier this year.

Many of the works in the wider plan will be managed by Crystal Palace Park Trust, which will take over the day-to-day management of the park on September 15.

While further grant funding still needs to be raised for much of the works in the wider plan, Bromley Council believes the appointment of HTA Design as lead consultant and landscape architects is a significant step forward for the regeneration of Crystal Palace Park.

The wider plan includes significant improvements to the park’s infrastructure, including improved transport links and new facilities, as well as restoring the park's many features.

With the restoration of the Grade II* listed subway underway and to be completed later this year, the park restoration plan is making significant progress.

Natalia Roussou, landscape design director at HTA Design, said: “We are excited to have been selected by the London Borough of Bromley for such a high-profile project and look forward to working with our team of specialists to bring a new lease of life to Crystal Palace Park.

“Delivering this stage of the regeneration plan will reinforce the international significance of this iconic London park, celebrating its rich history, restoring connections to nature and creating environmental resilience so that the park can be enjoyed now and in the future.”

Councillor Yvonne Bear, executive councillor for renewal, recreation and housing, said: “It is an exciting time for this iconic park as we begin to bring forward our ground-breaking plan and create a future for the park that is fitting of its remarkable past.

“I know local residents and visitors will be eager to see progress being made on the headline restoration works including in this next stage, but there is also much more work going on around this to ensure that a long-term model is created for the park, that firmly connects its heritage to the local community and economy.”