The announcement came after the National Capital Authority approved the works last month, more than 10 months after the ACT government accepted ownership of the heritage-listed sign.

Supporters of the sign's return to its home on the Federal Highway at Watson have welcomed the news, but repeated calls for its movie title boxes to be included in the restoration.

Starlight rescue committee member Irene Hazilias said the boxes - listed on the heritage register as two advertising spaces "intrinsic" to the sign's significance - would be raised in a meeting with Mr Gentleman next month.

"It was heritage listed with that and we'll see if we can change his mind," she said.

Ms Hazilias said the committee would look into the age of the back-lit title boxes, but would not let the issue stop progress on raising the sign.

Mr Gentleman said additional photos found by the architects who documented the works showed the most recent panels were not original.

"The panels also create a potential path for vandals to damage the main sign and, with the light bulbs around the main sign could create excess light that could be a concern to the adjacent apartment building," he said.

The Starlight theatre, which opened with spaces for 500 cars, had about six million visitors during its operation between 1956 and 1993.

The sign remained in its original location - next to the Starlight apartments, which opened in 2003 - until it was blown over in a storm in 2012.

ACT Heritage Council chairman David Flannery said the council would have preferred the back-lit panels to be retained and conserved.

"However, given the various options around conservation of the sign, the potential for vandalism by people climbing on the panels, long-term maintenance and the need to ensure the adjacent apartments are protected from light spill, the council has agreed that removal of the panels is a reasonable option," he said.

Mr Flannery said photographs indicated the sign's panels had been changed since 1981, although it was not known when.