Culture secretary Chris Smith and Wembley chairman Sir Rodney Walker in talks over new athletics facility.
PLANS for an athletics stadium at Picketts Lock in north London are set to be axed in the wake of radical developments at the planned national stadium at Wembley.

Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of developer Wembley National Stadium Limited, and culture secretary Chris Smith are on the brink of reaching a compromise over creating an athletics facility at Wembley. If successful, this may rule out the need for a stadium in Edmonton.

The compromise under discussion is understood to involve a two-stage solution. First, a temporary track would be installed at the stadium to accommodate the World Athletics Championships in 2005. Second, a separate 15 000-seat stadium would be built next to Wembley.

Three possible sites for a warm-up track for the world championships have already been identified. They are: the existing car park, a site on the south-west corner of Wembley stadium and a site on the south-east corner, now occupied by light industrial units.

Sources close to the project say the site in the south-east would be big enough to have a running track with seating.

If this option were agreed, it would meet Smith's demands for a permanent home for athletics at Wembley and fit in with the Football Association's wish for a stadium dedicated to football.

A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the department had not ruled out having a permanent venue for athletics next to Wembley Stadium but said it was too early to say what impact this would have on Picketts Lock.

The whole thing has been thrown utterly in the air. It’s been turned on its head

Gerald Kaufman

A UK Athletics spokesman refused to comment on the future of Picketts Lock, saying that both that option and the adjoining Wembley track idea were under consideration.

Newcastle-based architect FaulknerBrowns was tipped to win the commission to design the £95m project last month out of a shortlist of six practices.

Some critics have expressed doubts about whether a permanent 50 000-seater stadium for athletics is required after the 2005 championships.

Sir Rodney is due to make his final decision on the direction of the project, designed by Foster and Partners and HOK Sport, this month.

The continuing confusion over Wembley has drawn criticism from Gerald Kaufman, MP and chairman of the select committee on culture, media and sport.

Kaufman attacked the government for not heeding select committee advice to keep athletics at Wembley.

The road to Wembley

17 December 1999 UK Athletics backs Foster and Partners and HOK Sport’s design (above) for a stadium that will host football and athletics 22 December Culture secretary Chris Smith announces that the stadium will be used exclusively for football 25 February 2000 A Bovis Lend Lease/Multiplex joint venture wins the contract 14 April Developer Wembley National Stadium threatens to take Brent council to a public inquiry over a £30m planning gain agreement 30 August Bovis Lend Lease/Multiplex contract terminated 7 September Multiplex lands £326.5m guaranteed maximum price deal 19 December Sir Rodney Walker replaces Ken Bates as WNSL chair