gas or electricity. Flooding was a major problem in the area. Eden Park and Gribblehirst Park became lakes during heavy winter rain, as did the reserve land east of the Sandringham shops. After a heavy storm in 1919, locals recalled boating through the streets and floodwaters "flowing through the bay windows" of one low-lying house. Substantial development only came around 1925 with the construction of the tramline, resulting in the core of what is now Sandringham Village being built. Rows of evenly spaced streets spread on each side of Sandringham Road and were lined with wooden California-style bungalows. Large parts of the area remained undeveloped however, and services such as telephone, electricity and gas were only provided at a minimum level. Over the following decades more retail buildings were constructed in Sandringham Village. Around 1927, the Mayfair Cinema was built, an elegant building in the Neo-Greek style; it was demolished in the early 1990s. The Sandringham Service Station, still operating in 2011, was first erected by Sydney Waring in 1929. The first Indian restaurant, Stan's Halal Hotpot was opened in 2001 followed by Satya's in 2006. An increasing number of South Asian restaurants have opened in Sandringham village which has led to it often being referred to as Auckland's "Little India". After the Second World War, what little remained of the farmland was developed as state housing. Sandringham Village is a virtually intact example of an interwar suburban shopping precinct. As part of the Eden electorate, Sandringham became a no-licence area from 1909 until 2000, meaning that alcohol could not be sold. As a result, there were no public houses in Sandringham until the opening of Prague Bar 2011 (now closed) which was followed by the opening of Lord Kitchener Pub in 2016 . Earlier plans to build a tavern at 597 Sandringham Road were successfully opposed by residents in 2001. Local Government Sandringham falls within the Mt Albert constituency for the national Parliament. In terms of local government, Sandringham comes under the Albert-Eden Local Board, of Auckland Council. The Albert-Eden Local Board includes the suburbs of Waterview, Point Chevalier, Sandringham, Mount Albert, Morningside, Owairaka, Balmoral, Kingsland, Mount Eden, Epsom and Greenlane. Transportation Public transportation extended from the city centre to the surrounding areas in the late 1870s, with horse-drawn buses being the first mode of regular public transportation. At the beginning of the 20th century, trams began connecting areas