A BOURNEMOUTH company whose clients range from the Chewton Glen hotel to the Warner Bros Harry Potter attraction has scooped a major award.

Planning consultancy Terence O’Rourke won Decision Magazine’s South’s Most Ambitious Companies award.

Companies cannot be nominated for the award or put themselves forward. Instead, more than 5,000 businesses in the south of England were researched against a set of measures.

Terence O’Rourke, headquartered in Bournemouth with another office in London, is to celebrate its 30th anniversary this summer.

Its managing director, Tim Hancock, said: “It is a great honour to receive this prestigious award and the team is extremely proud. We are indeed ambitious for our future, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year and look ahead to more growth in the coming years.”

The company’s most high-profile recent project locally is the Citrus Building at Bournemouth’s Horseshoe Common, but it is also known for a host of major projects across the country, including:

* The new Tree Top Suites at New Milton’s Chewton Glen hotel.

* The McLaren Campus in Woking, where the company secured planning permission for three key buildings: the McLaren Technology, Production and Applied Technology Centres. The company, which has advised McLaren for more than 20 years, was also responsible for all the design of landscape works.

* The University of Surrey, where Terence O’Rourke planned and secured permission for the new Manor Park campus and Surrey Sports Park.

* Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden, where Terence O’Rourke secured planning permission for a new studio complex and Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The company also helped with environmental and landscape services for the project.

* Kings Hill in Kent, where the company created a master plan, secured permission and designed a substantial part of the landscape works for an award-winning, mixed use community on a former airfield site. It is now home to businesses, homes, a golf course, country park, schools, restaurants and town centre.

* Stonebridge in Londn, where Terence O’Rourke’s town planning and design teams came together to redevelop an estate, with 1,600 new homes, sophping areas, health and community facilities and recreation areas.

The Decision Magazine awards were independently assessed by accountancy firm Baker Tilly, law firm Rawlison Butler, and consultants Endgame Insight, and presented at a ceremony in Fetcham Park, Leatherhead.

Jon de Costa, a partner at Baker Tilly, said: "The criteria include a desire to build a business of some significance, to be a leader rather than a follower, and an ability to think, and act, strategically."

Tim Sadka, partner at Rawlison Butler, said: “An ambitious company has a determination to succeed regardless of any obstacles.