Residents in Bristol say they are shocked that a site near their homes has been earmarked for a waste incinerator – with a chimney at least 80m high.

If built, the chimney in St Philip's would be one of the highest manmade structures in the city – overshadowing Clifton Suspension Bridge at 76m from river to deck and nearly as high as the spire on St Mary Redcliffe Church, at 87m.

It would tower over homes in nearby Totterdown and be visible for miles. The incinerator site is in Albert Road, nearly opposite Totterdown Bridge which spans the River Avon to the A4 Bath Road.

It has been stressed to the Evening Post that the site has not yet been chosen for an incinerator and there would be many hurdles to jump before one was built there.

The YMCA building on the Wells Road stands at 39m above sea level, compared with 58m at the corner of Perrett Park in Knowle at the junction of Bayham Road and Sylvia Avenue.

A public meeting is being held tonight at the Wholesale Fruit Centre in Albert Road, starting at 7.30pm.

Phil Horner, spokesman for Totterdown Residents' Environmental Social Action (TRESA) said: "I don't think anyone has grasped the sheer size of what is envisaged.

"If it went ahead, it would be one of the biggest incinerators in the country dealing with 400,000 tonnes of waste a year.

"It makes you wonder what would be emitted from the chimney and how the roads would cope with the extra number of vehicles transporting the waste."

He said residents were "pretty shocked" when they realised what was being suggested.

The site, which is understood to be council owned and currently used as a waste transfer station, is next to the fruit market.

The centre's company secretary Richard Laurence said: "I can't believe they want to put something like this in the centre of the city.

"It throws up a combination if issues – emissions, transport and safety."

He said the prevailing wind would waft the fumes from the chimney across St Anne's, Barton Hill, St George and probably as far as Kingswood.

Mr Laurence said Albert Road was already in a very poor state of repair and was constantly flooded.

He did not see how it could cope with hundreds of extra lorries to feed the plant, which would burn rubbish that would otherwise go to landfill sites.

Mr Laurence was also worried about possible contamination of food from dust and smell.

The site has been highlighted as one of 29 by the West of England Partnership – a body which represents the four councils in the former Avon area – to deal with waste in the years to come.

It originally highlighted the Sita works in Albert Road, which is nearer the Dogs Home, but there are issues over the fact that it could be liable to flooding.

Instead, the partnership's report now suggests a site next door, which is 9m above sea level, would be better.

The partnership has yet to decide which of the sites from the list of 29 should be chosen as preferred sites.

It is unlikely to do this before October and will need agreement from all four councils.

Partnership spokeswoman Julia Dean said that even if the St Philip's site was chosen as one of the preferred ones, it would need a commercial operator to come forward and propose a plan for the site.

If this happened, then the operator's scheme would have to go through the full planning process with Bristol City Council.

She said the partnership had yet to decide whether to go for one large incinerator to serve the region or several small-burn plants.

The partnership is duty-bound to come up with long-term proposals to deal with rubbish that currently gets tipped in landfill sites.

It recently signed a £40 million deal for a new plant to deal with residual waste at Avonmouth, which has yet to be built.

But the amount of waste we produce is expected to outstrip the plant's capacity after 10 years and therefore the partnership must come up with a long-term plan.

Bristol cabinet councillor Gary Hopkins who is in charge of the city's waste and is against large-scale incinerators, said: "This is not a sensible place for something like this.

"I think it is extremely unlikely that it will be acceptable."