THIS Saturday's Melrose 7s could be the last to ever be played on grass.

The ambitious Greenyards club have tabled plans to upgrade the historic ground with a new 3G pitch and state-of-the-art floodlighting.

And once the phase one of the legacy project is completed, officials hope to replace the current facilities with a new 1000-capacity stand, cafe, gymnasium, shop and reception.

A spokesman for Melrose said: "In recent years the club has recognised the need to modernise their facilities to respond to the modern game and to their

community.

"This development presents a vision of a sustainable community based rugby club, which leads the way for Scottish Rugby and 7s in the Borders."

The increased dimensions of the proposed 3G pitch, to meet international standards, means that alterations will be made to the current embankments.

But officials believe the capacity of the Greenyards won't be affected by the changes.

The spokesman added: "This layout retains the majority of the spectating and viewing areas around the pitch which are required for the Melrose 7s.

"The north end will be reduced in capacity but the south end will be correspondingly increased."

The proposals, which were submitted this week, also include four new 20-metre high floodlight columns to each house 48 lights.

The new lights, which will be strong enough to cater for television coverage, will be also adaptable to light everything from small-scale training sessions to full-scale public events.

The full planning application for the 3G pitch and floodlights will be considered by Scottish Borders Council over the coming weeks.