The Sir Richard Steele pub in Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park

Published: 27 November, 2012
by RICHARD OSLEY

ONE of the big names in Camden’s pub scene can stay open after reaching a compromise deal with police investigating drug dealing at the bar.

The management at the Sir Richard Steele pub in Haverstock Hill, Belsize Park, admitted on Tuesday that it had a “20-year” reputation for being a venue where dealers operated.

But they vowed that the nature of the bar had changed, cleaned up and  was moving to a “focus on food”.

Police made a series of undercover visits to the pub during the past year, making a clutch of arrests. The issue of drugs was raised again when an arrest was made on the premises last Thursday.

Officers triggered a licence review hearing at the Town Hall, initially calling for the pub’s licence to be suspended for three months. The measure would have effectively meant closure during the busy festive period and potentially spelt the end for a landmark pub.

But ahead of Tuesday’s review in front of a panel three councillors, the pub agreed a series of measures to satisfy police concerns. They include regular checks on the toilets area, a doorman at peak hours, large signs warning of a “zero tolerance” approach to drug dealing and extra CCTV.

The only sanction debated at the hearing was whether the beer garden should be forced to close at 8pm. Licensing officials said it should, declaring that it was difficult to believe that closing the garden two hours earlier each night would have a crippling effect on business.

The pub – affectionately known locally as “the Steeles” – gained a reputation beyond Belsize Park in the 1990s when the stars of Britpop drank there. Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher were spotted inside and, more regularly, the DJ and former TFI Friday host Chris Evans.

It was bought by chain Faucett Inn, which also runs the Dartmouth Arms in Highgate and the Black Cap in Camden Town, 18 months ago, although its current landlord, Ian Collins, was only brought in recently.

He said he had made it known in the pub when he arrived that he would not turn a blind eye to drug dealing.

He added that there had been a “sea change” in the pub after police had made certain arrests of suspects. Mr Collins said he accepted the pub had previously had a “20-year association” with drugs. Flat edges in the toilets that may have been used for drug taking have been removed.

Mr Collins added: “It is a community pub – one of the few places in London where barristers rub shoulders with guys who don’t have a job. 

“I was not going to go in with two feet, that’s how you make an enemy of everyone, even the good people at the pub. I wanted to build relationships and then start weeding out anybody involved in drugs.”

Faucett Inn manager director Steven Cox told the meeting he had been aware of the pub’s reputation – but not the scale. He said in the early days after buying it he had personally barred a man after finding him “smoking a joint” at the front of the pub. Mr Cox said the Sir Richard Steele had changed from a “completely vertical drinking venue”, ended live music and added a new kitchen to concentrate on food.

Police reported being able to buy wraps of cocaine for £70 from dealers operating in the pub during undercover visits.

Members of the public, horrified at the idea of the pub closing for three months, wrote to the council asking for less severe penalties.

Lib Dem councillor Keith Moffitt, chairman of the licensing panel, said curbing the hours of the beer garden was the “final piece of the jigsaw” in changing the nature of the pub.

Labour councillor Pat Callaghan, another member of the panel, said she was concerned it had taken so long to work out there were significant drug problems at the venue, adding: “I think the antenna could have worked a bit better there.” But she added: “I know it is a good community pub, too.”