Hampstead's only High Street pub has handed a petition to the council in a bid to head off complaints about noise and antisocial behaviour.
Complaints lodged about the King William IV are expected to go to Camden's licensing committee.
Issues were first raised in June 2021 by unnamed residents, referencing noise and antisocial behaviour after pubs reopened following lockdown. Licensing papers reveal council officers visited the premises, on occasion witnessing loud noisy groups of people, and that there has been dialogue with the pub.
On May 5 this year, police were called to a "20-man fight" outside the pub and an allegation of sexual assault on a woman in the queue for La Creperie De Hampstead.
A licensing officer recommended changes to licensing conditions, including only allowing smokers outside after 9pm, with no drinks allowed; signs asking customers to keep the noise down outside, with staff monitoring levels; a door supervisor on weekend evenings; and a dispersal policy.
About 500 people have backed the pub's petition, which calls for there not to be a licensing review, saying: "It is a well-run, orderly and much-loved local pub – which already complies with and beyond its licensing requirements."
Landlord Jimmy McGrath said: "It's just a pub, a busy pub, and it needs to be to survive. The rent's high, the business rates are sky high. It needs to be busy but it's not noisy. It's community – a community pub."
Although the William is the surviving pub on Hampstead High Street, other outlets nearby include the popular Coffee Cup and the famous La Creperie de Hampstead.
Jimmy said there is a "certain amount of coming and going" and that the pub is an "easy target".
The petition was handed in to Camden Council on Monday by bar manager Marija Skauminaite, who said: "We do much for the community. We do charity nights – 16 a year – where we raise a lot of money. And also we are a community pub so everybody gathers, just being around each other."
She said people do not understand why this is happening to a pub that has been in the High Street since the 18th century.
Camden Council declined to comment ahead of the licensing committee hearing.
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