A massive new Muslim cemetery planned for Dundee should last the Islamic community for “at least 50 years”.
The 13,000-sq-metre site which lies just beyond the top of the Eastern Cemetery on Old Craigie Road would be capable of taking more than 1,400 lairs.
The proposed cemetery will replace the East End Football Park, which occupies the site at the moment.
Bashir Chohan, president of the Dundee Islamic Society, said it was “wonderful” that the site had been recommended for approval by planning chiefs.
“We have always had a separate Muslim cemetery but these have filled up,” Mr Chohan said.
“We had a site at Birkhill but we have had problems there, particularly because there is a lot of water underneath the ground which we weren’t aware of.
“Since then we have been urgently seeking somewhere central and luckily, with the help of the council, we have managed to get this place.”
The proposed site will have a grid layout of lairs and will be accessed from the Old Craigie Road at the existing entrance.
Mr Chohan added: “It is a really wonderful place for us to have for a very long time.
“I think on average we bury 20 to 22 people a year, so with over 1,400 lairs this should last us for at least 50 years.”
An environmental report on the proposal was completed two years ago.
Macleod Consulting said in the report: “With the recent commitment to develop a new cemetery at Linlathen, extension of the Eastern Cemetery would no longer be the preferred option for site use.
“However, to fulfil local demand, the site has been identified as a potential site for sale to the Muslim community for use as a dedicated Muslim burial ground.”
The proposed site has been recommended for approval and will go before the council’s development management Committee on Monday evening.
However, two conditions have been attached to the proposal, including full details of all landscaping which will occur at the site.