Development grants totalling more than £1m have been made to five local authorities in the UK to progress with plans to regenerate parks in their areas.

The funding, which has been awarded through the Parks for People programme, a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund, paves the way for Brockwell Park in Lambeth, London; Ouseburn Parks in Newcastle; Roberts Park in Bradford; Clifton Park in Rotherham and Dartmouth Park in West Bromwich, to progress with plans to bid for more than £20m.

The grants make up the second round of funding under the scheme, which kicked off in September with a total of £480,000 in development awards allocated to parks in Bushey, Hertfordshire; Merton and Hounslow in London; Wigan; Keswick; Worcester; and Ellesmere, Shropshire. Between them they are bidding for a total of £8.3m.

“This is great news for all the people who visit our parks every year and a perfect example of how Lottery bodies can work together and combine their expertise and resources to make a long-lasting impact,” said Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, media and sport.

“Thanks to Lottery funding, these parks can look forward to a brighter future which will benefit people and local communities for years to come.”

Sir Clive Booth, chair of the Big Lottery Fund, added: “Parks are a vital free space in which people of all generations and backgrounds can come together.

“Whether you walk the dog or like to jog, this Parks for People investment will make a huge difference to your park by transforming it into a more attractive and safer place to be.”

Parks for People has £160m to distribute over the next three years, with £90m coming from the Big Lottery Fund and £70m from the HLF. The scheme is administered by the HLF and is designed to finance training for staff and volunteers as well as redevelopment projects.

The next round of grants will be made between March and September 2007.

Photograph: Ouseburn Parks in Newcastle