The improvements to the Building Activity Management System (BAMS), as detailed by the Victoria Building Authority (VBA), will commence on May 16, 2024. These changes are designed to streamline processes, improve reporting accuracy, and align with current regulatory standards.
These improvements focus on addressing various challenges faced by consumers, practitioners, and the building industry. Following is a breakdown of the most significant changes:
Following amendments to the Building Regulations 2018, BAMS will now include specific reporting requirements for small secondary dwellings. This includes defining SSDs as Class 1a buildings with a gross floor area of 60m² or less on the same allotment as an existing single dwelling. Part 5 of the Regulations has also been updated to apply siting, design, and amenity requirements to SSDs.
To better reflect the status of building permits and works, the VBA is introducing new prescribed events and updating existing ones in BAMS.
In alignment with current practices, the term "Draftsperson" will be replaced with "Building Designer" in BAMS. This change reflects the diverse range of practitioners responsible for building documentation.
BAMS will incorporate the NCC 2022 Building Code of Australia (BCA) values for Building Permit Number (BPN) applications to stay current with the latest standards.
We are pleased to announce that our BAMS reporting system has been updated to align with the new requirements. Starting May 16, 2024, Visual Approvals will automatically comply with the updated BAMS requirements. However, it may be necessary to make some minor changes to your VA configuration to ensure accurate reporting and compliance.
Stay tuned for further updates to support your BAMS journey.
For any inquiries or assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our support team.