The Big Lottery Fund has announced the winners of its Living Landmarks competition.

Kerrier District Council’s Heartland scheme has been awarded £22.3m towards transforming 7.5 hectares of former mining land into parkland.

Formal gardens, a play space, a performance space for 4,000 people and new cycle links to local trails will be complemented by public artworks, sculptures and water features.

In Ireland, the Community Greenway project submitted by the Greater East Belfast Partnership will benefit from an award of £23.5m.

The grant will be used to connect 379 acres of public open space, build 43 bridges and create 19km of cycle paths and walkways.

A 9km linear park following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop rivers through East Belfast will also be built.

The Helix development in Falkirk will transform 300 acres of unused urban scrub into an environmental area for people living in central Scotland.

More than a 250,000 new trees will be planted, 34km of paths and cycle tracks will be built and the Forth Canal will be linked with the Forth Estuary via a new canal section.

Photograph: Overview of the Helix project