A waste incinerator would never be built in Bristol city centre because planners wouldn't allow it, councillors have insisted.

Residents in Totterdown reacted angrily after the West of England Partnership highlighted the industrial area as one of a number of potential sites across the region that could be used to deal with rubbish in the future.

If chosen as part of the partnership's Joint Waste Core Strategy, an incinerator could have an 80m chimney, one of the tallest structures in Bristol, towering over the residents of Totterdown and the surrounding area.

It was standing room only at the Wholesale Fruit Centre in Albert Road last night, at a public meeting held to discuss the possibility. More than 30 members of the public, representatives of the partnership – which is made up of the four councils in the former Avon area – and Liberal Democrat city councillors attended.

The city councillors insisted there was no chance St Philip's would be chosen for an incinerator. They also stressed the partnership was only looking at potential sites, and no company had submitted plans.

Partnership spokesman Terry Wagstaff said: "What this plan is trying to do is identify locations where companies might propose waste facilities. We're consulting on a number of them. There are 16 sites in the West of England, including the one down the road, but the decision is for councillors to make, not consultants."

Residents' concerns had been raised by information in a 199-page document, worked up by consultants, which looked at various options for future waste disposal. Although it does not contain any concrete plans, mention of a 400,000 tonne processing plant rang alarm bells with Totterdown Residents' Environmental Social Action [TRESA].

But Mr Wagstaff said the consultants had also highlighted a number of reasons why St Philip's might not be chosen, including air quality and visual impact.

He said that the largest capacity for an incinerator in the centre of Bristol would be 100,000 tonnes, if one was built at all.

Windmill Hill ward councillor Mark Bailey said: "This site is not appropriate for a 400,000 tonne site, a 100,000 tonne or a 60,000 tonne. There is nobody proposing to build an incinerator there. There is not a planning authority in the country that would allow that."

But local people still made their views about the consultants' work clear. Mike Collins, of Bath Road, said: "It's a load of rubbish – why even start a report on it? Why would you pay people thousands of pounds to produce rubbish?"

Another speaker said: "Bristol is a smoke-free city. So why is anyone even thinking of building a smoke-emitting facility in the lowest part of Bristol? Why should anyone think this was a good idea?"

After the meeting TRESA spokesman Phil Horner told the Evening Post he was reassured by the partnership. He said: "I think they've done a very good job, but it was absolutely right for people to be concerned. I wish more people had come, a lot of people live here and it affects all of them."