MORE than 160 workers face an uncertain future because Zurich is about to put its training centre up for sale.

King Edward's Place just outside Wanborough is used for training Zurich staff and also hired out to companies round the country.

Swindon Town players also use the sports pitches within its 147 acres of land for training.

But the financial services giant has announced that the centre is no longer commercially viable. It goes on the market next week.

The manor house, the training centre and the land will all be put up for sale.

One Swindon property expert said that developers would be unlikely to be interested as planning permission for further building would be unlikely, but that the site could reach up to £5m.

At the moment it houses 165 people a mixture of Zurich staff, Eurest catering workers and Openwork employees.

Openwork is a network of 2,200 financial advisers that started trading at the beginning of last month.

Zurich says it hopes the centre will be sold as a going concern to a training firm, which would mean many jobs would be safe. But it said that it was too early to speculate on who might be interested in buying the house and land.

A spokeswoman said: "It is no longer commercially viable. There is a greater demand for e-training or more regional training.

"At the moment we have not got a buyer and it is going to be actively marketed as of next week.

"We hope it will be sold as a going concern."

The centre was built in 1991 and has carried out all Zurich's training since then, whether on computers or in financial matters.

Swindon Town's players train at King Edward's Place, and it is a possibility that the club could have to find a new base for training, although Zurich stressed it is early days and would be up to the new owners whether to allow the current arrangement to continue.

The spokeswoman said: "We will be discussing specific terms and conditions with those involved. We are talking to them and discussing the terms of the contract."

Swindon Town chief executive Sandy Gray said: "It was a surprise to us. Not only do our first team train there but the centre of excellence does as well.

"We would like to stay there under the new owners, but it will be the case that we have to look for alternative facilities as a contingency plan just in case we have to move."

Zurich, which in Swindon has its roots in Hambro Life and Allied Dunbar, was created in September 1998 when Allied Dunbar merged with BAT Financial Services.

In Swindon it employs just under 3,000 people, in the Life building in Station Road and in the tri-centres near the bus station.

Tom Morton