The new Wembley stadium will not host athletics, Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced on Wednesday.

Plans to build an athletics track around the pitch have been scrapped and the rebuilt venue will no longer be part of the bid for the World Championships or the 2012 Olympic Games.

Controversy erupted last month when Britain's Sports minister Kate Hoey criticised the new Wembley layout, saying the 90,000-seat stadium was unsuitable for track and field.

As a result of the new plans, a total of £20m of lottery money that was invested in the new design will be given back to athletics.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Smith ruled out spending an additional £20-45m to add a temporary running track to Wembley, arguing it was unworkable.

"We have reached an agreement between all parties, I am pleased to say," he said.

"Wembley should be for football and rugby league, not athletics.

"It's never been ideal for athletics and in return the Football Association will return £20m of the original lottery grant.

"That and the amount we save for not having to convert Wembley will be reinvested into athletics and we are currently looking at a number of venues.

"The front runner is undoubtedly Twickenham."

Tough choices

David Moorcroft, the head of UK Athletics, the sport's governing body, said he was glad the controversy was over.

"It is complex and we're happy that Wembley itself is going to go ahead for football's sake.

"What we have to make sure is that whatever the solution we decide on for athletics, that it's the right one.

"Whatever the process we have to make the right choice.

"There are a number of concerns with Twickenham, particularly resident issues.

"But we would be delighted to strike up a working agreement with the RFU."

The current north London stadium, opened in 1923, is to be demolished in 2000.

Original plans called for the new stadium to be open in 2003, but delays now suggest it will open in 2004.

The stadium, designed by Norman Foster and HOK+LOBB sports architects, is to be topped by a 300-foot high arch, a symbolic replacement for Wembley's famous twin towers.