The Community Pledge is a UK-wide initiative across Cala Group and will see bespoke programmes of activity created for each Cala development, including multiple new communities across Scotland.

The Pledges will have an impact on thousands of people across the UK as they are rolled out over the next two years.

Each Pledge will be developed by Cala’s teams on the ground and informed by the local community. While developments already contribute to communities through Section 75 contributions, Pledges will go above and beyond any planning obligations, giving additional value.

A host of tailored measures will be incorporated into each Pledge, addressing specific community needs, including donations, volunteering, learning programmes, support initiatives and much more.

The Community Pledge is an evolution of the many successful community programmes Cala has introduced over the years, including its Community Bursary which has provided over £400,000 worth of funding to more than 400 organisations and projects within communities across Scotland and England since 2016.

The Community Pledge will go one step further by bringing measurable, meaningful benefits to neighbourhoods through investing in and enhancing the very essence of what brings a community together.

The Pledges will include Cala’s new schools’ initiative, Land to Life, Showhome of Support – which supports local talent and businesses, and Stay Safe, Stay Away, a Health and Safety learning programme to raise awareness amongst young people of the dangers of playing on building sites.

The first Pledges for Scotland have already been launched in Aberdeen, Aberdour and Stepps, and include initiatives such as volunteering for Samaritans, a donation of furniture for a local park, beach and garden clean-ups and the installation of mindfulness benches.

Jennifer Wylie, regional chair for Cala in Scotland, said: “People and communities have always been at the heart of what we do, and the Community Pledge is all about committing to the areas in which we build in a more meaningful way. Our goal is to directly impact the people around our developments and the places and organisations that matter to them.

“This gives people in those communities, and our partners such as local authorities, subcontractors and landowners, faith that we will not only deliver high quality homes, but that we’ll bring added value and leave a lasting, positive legacy.

“We’re proud to have launched our first Pledges across Scotland and look forward to unveiling more plans to support communities up and down the country as we roll out further Pledges this year.”