New Public Square In The Heart Of The City Centre

Cardiff could get a brand new public square in the heart of the city centre as plans come forward for the next phase of the Central Square regeneration project. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The new public square and major office development would be sited north of Wood Street in the Central Square regeneration area and would see the demolition of the St David’s House building which currently sits on Wood Street. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The proposed scheme was discussed at the City of Cardiff Council’s Cabinet meeting on Thursday, March 16, where members agreed to give the authority permission to dispose of leasehold interest in land north of Wood Street to enable delivery of the proposed 270,000 sq. ft. office block and a new public square. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

City of Cardiff Council Leader, Cllr Phil Bale, said: “The Central Square regeneration is a fantastic example of Cardiff’s recent economic success. The project is well on-track to deliver over 1 million sq. ft. of high-quality development with the potential to bring 10,000 jobs into the city centre. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As anyone can see, the transformation on the south side of Wood Street facing the railway station is well underway with The BBC Wales HQ and no 2 Central Square beginning to take shape alongside No1 Central Square which has been open for over a year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Now there are some really exciting plans coming forward for the north side of Wood Street on the old Western Mail and Echo site, which has been empty for several years, and on the St David’s House site which fronts Wood Street. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“If this development progresses, it will open up opportunities to transform the whole of this area including a new public square off Wood Street looking towards the BBC HQ that will help link the stadium to the Central Square development and will represent another major step forward in the city’s regeneration plans.”
It is the City Council’s intention to dispose of the whole of the site north of Wood Street to Rightacres Property Co Ltd on a long lease. Rightacres would then carry out demolition works on St David’s House and the public realm improvements associated with the development of the public square. Building work on the offices and the new public square could then begin before the end of 2017. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​