Great Lakes Council is currently working to remove the steel superstructure, which will be treated with rust preventative and repainting.

Once all the elements have been treated they will then be re-erected.

“There are failures in the protective coatings on some steel components of the grandstand,” director of engineering services Ron Hartley said.

“As it is located in an extremely corrosive environment it is imperative that there be no defects in the coating. The structure has been in place for seven years, which was less than the guaranteed life of the original coating. Not all elements of the structure require treatment but, in view of the age of the grandstand and the difficulty in treating the various elements, the opportunity has been taken to repaint the entire structure at this time.”

The maintenance period under the contract was 12 months, which is a standard for this type of structure, Mr Hartley said.

“There were elements within the construction that required longer warranties but the difficulty for council was proving the cause of the failure in the coating of the steel,” he said.

Repairs will cost $450,000 with the funds coming from council's budget.  Harry Elliott Oval is used by a variety of sporting teams and codes, with the Forster Tuncurry rugby league the main occupant.

Secretary of the Forster Tuncurry Hawks Rugby League club, Lance Fletcher, said the club had been assured by council that the grandstand had been inspected by engineers and was deemed safe to be used this year.

He said there had been "a lot of dramas" involving the stand.

“It's been leaking like a sieve as long as I've known it,” Lance said.

The grandstand was opened in August 2008 following construction at a cost of $1.25m, with the costs funded substantially by grants.