The first woman to take up an executive function in local government for the orthodox Christian party SGP has resigned after breaking planning rules.

Paula Schot stepped down on the eve of a council debate in Schouwen-Duivenland, Zeeland, about the renovation of a property that she bought with her husband in 2021.

The couple were found to have breached the rules protecting listed buildings and illegally removed asbestos. The council banned any further renovations and imposed a conditional penalty of €10,000 each time they defied the order.

Schot, 30, said she was “absolutely gutted that it has to end like this”, but a debate about her position was pointless. “In the last few days I’ve noticed that people have already drawn their conclusions.”

She made headlines in 2020 when she was appointed by the traditionalist SGP as an alderman in Schouwen-Duiveland for a wide-ranging portfolio including education, youth policy and water management.

Two years earlier she became only the second woman to head a list of election candidates when she stood for the municipal council in Amsterdam, but she failed to win a seat.

The SGP barred women from becoming party members or running for election for decades, arguing that it was an unsuitable place for them according to the Bible.

But the party, which has three seats in parliament, was forced to admit female members and candidates after it lost a case at the European Court of Human Rights in 2006.