Two weeks after Oxford's live music venue The Zodiac closed its doors for a £2m refurbishment, the club's new owners have announced a significant increase in its capacity.

Work has already begun at the venue, on Cowley Road, which is being converted into a three-venue concert space - to be called the Carling Academy Oxford.

The club's new owners, the Academy Music Group (AMG) initially planned to increase capacity from 750 to 1,150. Today, however, they have announced a further expansion, taking the total capacity to 1,350.

The project, due to be completed in September, will see the 100-year-old building transformed into a venue capable of hosting major national and international tours. Much of the capacity will be catered for by a new main venue, capable of holding 1,020 people.

The Zodiac's name will live on, giving its name to a smaller, 436-person upstairs venue, which will host new bands and local talent.

The third element will be a stand-alone bar and club, called Bar Academy, which will hold 220 people.

Due to fire regulations, the three venues will not be able to operate at maximum capacity at the same time.

Steve Forster, operations director at AMG, which runs 12 venues, including Carling Academy Brixton and the Shepherds Bush Empire, said: "The venue will be perfectly positioned to attract a strong calibre of international touring artists to the city due to its larger capacity and technical capabilities."

Club general manager Carl Bathgate said: "The Bar Academy will be a fantastic space for new and developing artists.

"Our knowledge and expertise ensures we can offer the most varied configurations for this venue for all level of acts, and maximize the potential of its operation, running multiple gigs."

Mr Bathgate is working on the line-up for what is anticipated to be a stunning series of opening shows. Details will be announced exclusively in the Oxford Mail, as soon as they are released.