Plans to build a gas-fired power station on the edge of a Chippenham housing estate have sparked a wave of protest and concern.

Scottish and Southern Energy Plc wants to build a ten megawatt power station with four chimneys 12.4 metres high in Cocklebury Road.

It would be capable of producing enough energy for 5,000 homes, it says.

But residents on Monkton Park have voiced their alarm at the news, fearing it would spoil the appearance of the area and may cause pollution.

The matter could be taken out of the hands of North Wiltshire District Council because the power station may not even require planning permission, because the chimneys would be less than 15 metres tall.

"We don't want it," said David Rowlands, of Eastern Avenue. "We live in the largest cul-de-sac in Europe, so traffic could be a problem. It'll mean more fumes, more noise, and more aggro for the residents.

"I'm 100 per cent against this."

But a spokesman for Scottish and Southern Energy said the proposed energy centre was one of a new wave, designed to be clean and efficient.

The move is part of a wider plan for more small district generators, initiated by the Government, with efficiency savings when it came to dispersing power around the country.

"We want to build them closer to where the power will be used," she said.

"Energy centres are becoming more and more efficient, which will make electricity cheaper."

She said emissions would be limited. "The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide and water but this will be absolutely minimal. There will be no cooling towers."

Scottish and Southern Energy already has a similar energy centre in London's Docklands.

The spokesman said she appreciated residents could be worried by the news. "There is always concern with something new but people come to understand the benefits when they find out it is not as big and scary as they might think."

Coun Philip Allnatt, who lives in Lady Coventry Road, voiced his concern about the power station.

He said the chimneys would break up the town skyline. "It is extremely unfortunate that planning permission is not required," he said.

"We should not dismiss the project out of hand but if a serious accident happened it could cause a lot of problems because Monkton Park is a cul-de-sac."

Resident Betty Gardener said she was concerned about its appearance. "It's not a very good idea," she said.

Ben Reddick, of Carrick Close, said: "It doesn't sound like the right thing in the right place."

But Norman Smith, of Eastern Avenue, did not object to the plans. "There would be benefits," he said. "I have no aesthetic objections it is not a place of beauty. We'll have Westinghouse on one side of the line and a powerhouse on the other."

North Wiltshire MP James Gray said he would need to be convinced the power station was a good idea with real benefits for residents.

"My gut feeling is it is not a particularly good location at all," he said.

A spokesman for North Wiltshire District Council confirmed it has received inquiries about the power station but no proper plans have yet been submitted.