TWO weeks after Oxford's premier live music venue 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 Zodiac, 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. Now, however, they have announced a further expansion, taking the total capacity to 1,350.

The project, which will be completed in September, will see the 100-year-old building transformed into a state-of-the-art club, capable of hosting major national and international tours - including many artists who would previously have by-passed Oxford due to the lack of a suitable concert venue.

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, though - 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 the large Carling Academy Brixton and the Shepherds Bush Empire - said: "The venue will be designed to the highest specification, and is perfectly positioned to attract a strong calibre of international touring artists to the city due to its larger capacity and technical capabilities.

"We have been working closely with the local authorities to increase the overall site capacity and were delighted with this new offering for touring artists and promoters.

"We plan to operate up to three separate rooms if required, and can increase the auditorium of Carling Academy Oxford for larger touring acts utilizing the maximum lower floor space.

"The upstairs Zodiac room can also run at the same time with a flexible capacity for developing artists."

The club's 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 currently preparing the line-up for what is expected to be a stunning series of opening shows, featuring some major national acts.