As a result of a court case following unauthorised works in the state heritage listed gardens at the Fletcher Jones site, the owner at the time was ordered to carry out urgent works to the Water Tower. These works, costing over $60,000 were completed in 2010 and included the removal of the ladder, which had already been truncated for safety reasons.
Workmen from Keppel Prince removed the old rusted ladder from the bottom to the top and painted rust affected areas on orders from Heritage Victoria to the then owner Ian Baliss. This subsequently made it possible to access the ball only by crane.
