It is more than half a century (1936) since the last revision of formal plans for the development of the Botanic Gardens. The town of Horsham has grown, leisure time has increased and people's attitudes have changed. The pressure on some areas of the Gardens, especially the barbecue area, has increased to a point at which changes must be made. In many aspects, the Gardens has become simply a park.

What makes a park into a Botanic Gardens? According to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, "botanic gardens" should have at least some of the following attributes:

• A reasonable degree of permanence
• Open to the public
• An underlying scientific basis for its plant collection
• Documentation of the plant collection
• Monitoring of the plants in the collection
• Adequate labelling of the plants
• Communication of information to other gardens, institutions and the public
• Promotion of conservation
• Exchange of seeds or other materials with other gardens, institutions or research bodies
• Undertaking of scientific or technical research on plants in the collection
• Maintenance of research programs in plant taxonomy

Horsham Botanic Gardens, and indeed most of the regional botanic gardens in Victoria have fit few of these criteria. Very few plants are labelled, there is little scientific basis for the collection, there is a partial species inventory and no formal research, education or communication program. There has been some conservation work on endangered local endemic species in the past, which is the subject of a very small exhibit in the extreme north-west corner of the formal gardens. The new wetlands area also has a conservation aspect and is linked to artificial native wetlands in City Gardens Estate..

Should Horsham Botanic Gardens be managed so as to fulfill more of these Internationally-accepted criteria? Who would do the required work (it is unlikely that it could be fitted into the present staff work programs)? Who would pay? Or should we simply recognise that botanic gardens in a regional Australian context are just a particular type of park and not formal Botanic Gardens?

In 2003, Horsham Rural City Council engaged Jill Orr-Young, a Landscape Architect, to develop a new Master Plan. Its recommendations are currently being considered for adoption. A Steering Committee and a "Friends" group have been formed. The gardens has always been an important asset of the town and region. The proposed changes will ensure that it changes along with the needs of the community and that it does not lose its important cultural, historical and heritage values.