Central Square

Cardiff, Caerdydd - Cardiff, Wales

Transit hub 🏙 Busy, high footfall 🚇 Transit-oriented Risk: Medium 🚇 Transit location Medium confidence

Reality check: This is a transit node, not a neighbourhood. It works for professionals who prioritise location above all else. Not suitable for settled living.

Who Is This Street For?

Scored by profile based on what matters most to each group.

💼
Best fit: Young Professionals Excellent

Transport (90) and walkability (90) are strong. with excellent local amenities. Good for commuting and social life.

👪 Families
Not Recommended

Transit hub — not suited for settled living. High footfall, noise, and crime make this unsuitable regardless of nearby schools or services.

How this is calculated

Safety 30%, Schools 30%, Environment 20%, Amenities 10%, Energy 10%

💼 Young Professionals
Excellent

Transport (90) and walkability (90) are strong. with excellent local amenities. Good for commuting and social life.

How this is calculated

Transport 35%, Walkability 30%, Amenities 25%, Market 10%

📈 Investors
Below Average

Market data is decent (liquidity 50, market 55). but no clear growth trend limits upside.

How this is calculated

Liquidity 35%, Market 35%, Price trend bonus up to +30

🌳 Retirees
Not Recommended

Transit hub — not suited for settled living. High footfall, noise, and crime make this unsuitable regardless of nearby schools or services.

How this is calculated

Safety 25%, Environment 25%, Amenities 20%, Energy 15%, Walkability 15%

🔑 First-time Buyers
Below Average

At £9,600,000, this is likely out of reach for most first-time buyers.

How this is calculated

Affordability 40%, Transport 25%, Amenities 20%, Safety 15%

39
Liveability

How suitable for settled living

53
Functionality

Access, transport, services

This is a major transit hub, not a residential neighbourhood. The functionality score reflects excellent access and transport, but the liveability score reflects the reality of settled living here.

Things You Should Know

🚨
High Crime Area

Safety score 15/100 — crime rates are well above average. Exercise caution, especially at night.

👪
Weak family fundamentals

Family score 10 and safety 15. School access or quality combined with safety concerns make this challenging for families.

⚠️
Price anomaly

Median price £9,600,000 based on only 8 transactions. This may not reflect typical local housing — a few high-value sales can skew the median significantly.

How Life Works Here

Central Square is located in Cardiff, near Cardiff / Caerdydd, Caerdydd - Cardiff. Crime is a significant concern, with 5876 incidents recorded in 12 months — well above the national average. Violence and sexual offences dominates reports. 2537 violent offences were recorded (43% of total). This level of crime reflects a high-footfall transit area rather than a typical residential street. Daily amenities are excellent, with 11 facilities within walking distance, including cafe (4), fast_food (3), and convenience (2). Transport connections are strong, with rail and bus links nearby. The nearest stop (Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 6) is 38m away. The median property price is £9,600,000. Based on 8 transactions recorded since 2014. The local area has a moderate population, with a high proportion of rented accommodation. This is not a family-friendly location. Despite schools being within 2 km, the high crime, noise and transit-oriented environment make it unsuitable for raising children. This street may particularly suit young professionals. This is a transit hub, not a residential neighbourhood. Functionality scores 53/100 (excellent access and transport), but liveability scores only 39/100. The extreme footfall, crime, and urban intensity make it unsuitable for settled living. It may work for short-term rentals, corporate lets, or professionals who prioritise location above all else — but for most people looking for a home, this is not the right street.

Nearby Services (5 km)

Score Breakdown

Each dimension scored 0-100 from open government data. Hover or tap for data source.

Safety Poor (15)

police.uk crime data (12-month rolling)

Daily Access Excellent (81)

OpenStreetMap amenities within 2km

Transport Excellent (90)

DfT NaPTAN + TfL stops

Environment Below Average (35)

DEFRA noise & air quality, OS green space

Market Value Fair (55)

HM Land Registry price paid data

Family Poor (10)

GIAS schools + Ofsted ratings

Walkability Excellent (90)

OSM footpath density + connectivity

Energy Fair (50)

EPC certificates + estimated efficiency

Flood Risk Excellent (90)

Environment Agency flood zones

Property Market

£9,600,000
Median Price
8
Transactions (2017–2023)

Other | Leasehold | Market: stable

Based on 8 transactions. Moderate sample — prices may not fully represent current market value.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (Open Government Licence v3.0)

Nearby Amenities

Tesco Express 13m (0.2 min walk)
Greggs 29m (0.4 min walk)
Starbucks 44m (0.6 min walk)
Pret A Manger 46m (0.6 min walk)
Boots 60m (0.8 min walk)
Gourmet Coffee 61m (0.8 min walk)
Costa 71m (0.9 min walk)
cafe 71m (0.9 min walk)
atm 75m (0.9 min walk)
M&S Simply Food 83m (1 min walk)

Transport Links

Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 6 bus_stop 38m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 7 bus_stop 39m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 8 bus_stop 42m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 9 bus_stop 46m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 10 bus_stop 48m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 11 bus_stop 51m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 12 bus_stop 55m
Cardiff Bus Interchange Bay 13 bus_stop 59m

Similar Streets

Data Transparency

6 open data sources
75% data uniqueness
View all data sources
  • OS Open Roads — Crown copyright and database right
  • HM Land Registry Price Paid Data — Crown copyright
  • police.uk crime data — Open Government Licence v3.0
  • OpenStreetMap — ODbL licence
  • DfT NaPTAN — Open Government Licence v3.0
  • GIAS schools data — Crown copyright
  • Environment Agency flood data — OGL v3.0
  • DEFRA noise and air quality — OGL v3.0
  • ONS Census 2021 — Open Government Licence v3.0

All scores are computed from publicly available government and open data. No proprietary data is used. Scores reflect statistical patterns, not guarantees.