A FOOTBALL park could to be turned into a burial ground for Muslims in a Scottish city under new proposals.

Dundee City Council has lodged an application to turn East End Football Park, near the city's Eastern Cemetery, into a space for 1426 graves.

The site was to be used as an expansion of the existing graveyard but a new £2 million cemetery was developed in the Linlathen area of the city

The pitch has now been identified as "a potential site for sale to the Muslim community for use as a dedicated Muslim burial ground".

It has been sitting unused for six years after the council forced amateur club NCR AFC to move out to make way for the original extension to the Eastern Cemetery.

Jim Lamb, club secretary, said he was happy the land is finally being developed.

He said yesterday: "We've been gone for about six years now.

"It was a quiet place as the pitch was enclosed.

"We were there for about 25 years. It was enjoyable but we don't miss it now.

"And we do need more burial ground behind the town. And that piece of land backs on to the cemetery, so it would seem an ideal situation."

The potential burial area at the East End Park - which the council currently sites as "public open space" - would be 7914 metre squared.

However, because of issues with the soil the planning application recommends limiting burials to the area of the former football pitch only.