The battle over plans for a Thames Tideway sewer tunnel running 17 miles along the riverbed is now formally at the public planning stage with open forums on the cards next month.

The public is being invited to make representations on the controversial application by Thames Water for the ‘super sewer’, which has led to a campaign in east London to save Shadwell’s King Edward Park from being turned into a seven-year construction site.

Drop-in events across London are being run by the government’s Planning Inspectorate—the first in the East End, just two minutes from the park—to show the public how to take part in the planning process that gets under way later this year.

“This is a chance to play a part in the planning process and influence the outcome,” said the Inspectorate’s Chief Sir Michael Pitt. “They can take part in the examination of this proposal.”

The first ‘outreach’ event on May 2 is at Shadwell’s Glamis Tenants’ Hall at 414 Cable Street, corner of Glamis Road, 10am to 7pm and 7-8pm.

Two more are on May 8 at 160 Tooley Street in Bermondsey, 10am-5pm, and Glaziers Hall in Southwark, 7-8pm. Others are May 14 at City Hall in Queen’s Walk, near Tower Bridge, 10am-2pm and 7-8pm, and in west London on May 9, 15, 17 and 23.

Campaigners who have been battling for two years to protect King Edward Park and prevent being left with a 90ft sewer ventilation tower on the foreshore are gearing up for the planning process likely to begin with a Preliminary meeting in September. The six-month process is followed by another three months for a recommendation to the Secretary of State, with a further three months for a final decision likely in late 2014.

Anyone registering with the Inspectorate by May 28 has the right to provide evidence to support their case and to speak at public hearings. They can register on 030-3444 5000, or go online at: http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/london/thames-tideway-tunnel/