Work on a plan to set up holiday chalets and a major hotel on the Sammaliah Island, northeast of Abu Dhabi city, as part of a multi-faceted programme to attract tourists and provide residents with more recreational facilities is expected to begin in the next few months.

The plan has been approved and the project will commence as soon as the designing stage is completed, according to Ahmed Ali Al Rumaithi, deputy chairman of the Emirates Heritage Club (EHC) which supervises the island.

He said the design of two of the chalets had been completed and the location of the structures would be earmarked in the next stage.

The project is part of a Dh400 million ($109 million) masterplan to redevelop Sammaliah Island in the UAE emirate of Abu Dhabi to have several heritage and recreation parks and facilities. It is being carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD). According to the redevelopment plan, the island will comprise a huge scientific research centre, laboratories, an animal park, a camel racetrack, a village that can be reached only by foot, and a sailing centre.