It is accessed from the main retail/service/entertainment district at the end of Midsummer Boulevard by a footbridge over the Marlborough Street (B4146, V8) cutting.

A junction between the Grand Union and a new Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway is proposed for this area.

It lies on axis with the shopping centre and rises to a mound, intentionally reminiscent of a prehistoric site, before spreading out with an exhilarating panorama over Newlands, Willen Lake and its surrounding parkland, with which it makes a single tract of countryside.The Rose, at the west end of the park and nearest to the MK's central business district, "is a public space designed for commemoration, celebration and contemplation".

[6] When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, the MK Rose was used by locals as a place to lay floral tributes.

This area is also known for hosting Milton Keynes-based events such as India Day and the African Diaspora Foundation Festival.