Until the 1930s an area of terraced housing, churches and shops, named Temperance Town, occupied the current site of Central Square.

[1] Between 1932 and 1934, the Great Western Railway replaced the original 1850s station building (also designed by their architect's department) with a new Art Deco building faced in Portland stone, enclosing a booking hall with noted Art Deco light fittings, all topped by a clock cupola.

[8] In October 2014 another master plan was announced, this time led by Cardiff based real estate development company Rightacres Property, including one million square feet (9.3 hectares) of new office space and a 200-bed hotel.

[9] As well as the original office space and hotel, the new plan also accommodated the relocated headquarters and main news studios of BBC Wales in a new building, New Broadcasting House.

Construction began in Autumn 2015 on buildings located on the old bus station, with Marland House scheduled for demolition from Summer 2016.

[citation needed] One Central Square opened in 2016 for tenants including Blake Morgan LLP and Julian Hodge Bank.