Staging was first hinted at in January after UTAS missed its own deadline for the development application.

UTAS pro vice chancellor David Adams said at the time staging was being considered because the university wanted to ensure the economic benefits remained in Tasmania.

Rushing through construction of the campus would likely mean a mainland builder along with a fly-in, fly-out workforce, which would mean the economic benefits would flow off the state.

However, on Friday, UTAS revealed its new plans for the campus and a new four-stage process for it.

The first building to be constructed is the library and student services building. It will be this building, alongside a pedestrian footbridge across the North Esk river will form stage one.

"This is a thoughtfully designed building that will nest within the existing buildings and roof lines of Inveresk," UTAS vice chancellor Rufus Black said.

"It speaks to and respects the industrial heritage around it through its form and materials, but it is a thoroughly modern and exciting building that will serve the needs of today's students and those of tomorrow.

The library building will be located in front of the Annexe Theatre building and next to the "stone building" that currently houses creative arts and the Academy Gallery.

A development application for stage one will be submitted by the end of June and UTAS expects the first stage to be completed by 2021.

The library and student services building will be complete by 2021 but the footbridge is expected to be complete by 2020.

The second major building to be constructed as part of the staged roll out of the campus is the learning and teaching building.

This building will be housed at the back of the existing architecture building and connects with the river.

It will be home to humanities and arts students as well as teaching services.

Professor Black said it would be located near the rear of the architecture building on existing car park and vacant land and will bring the rest of humanities, arts and education students to Inveresk.

Stage two is expected to begin in 2020 and be complete by 2023.

Described as the largest "and most complex" building proposed as part of the development, stage three will be located on the Willis Street site of the campus.

The Willis Street building will comprise research, health sciences, and the Institute for Applied Science and Design, a new research centre to be based in Launceston.

"This is the largest and most complex of the buildings, but it will enable all the staff and students in health-related activities and disciplines to move to the site," Professor Black said.

The Willis Street building is expected to begin in 2020 and be complete by 2024.

UTAS' existing buildings on the Inveresk site will also receive a makeover under the new master plan.

Architecture, theatre and creative arts are already existing on the site and will be renovated and refurbished.

Work on this is expected to begin in 2020 and be complete by 2023.

Work on the "urban green" spaces and student accommodation will run in parallel with stage two and three.

A key tenet of the new campus is the development of a pedestrian-friendly student and community 'spine'.

The spine will run from the new pedestrian bridge from the Willis Street site to the Architecture building and through the to-be developed "urban realm".

The urban realm will be the community hub of the precinct and will include landscaping and a sporting green and other community spaces.

It will be located on half of what is now the circular car park at Inveresk with the other half to still be parking.

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New student accommodation has also been proposed in the master plan to complement the existing on-site accommodation.

Professor Black said the accommodation had been designed as separate "townhouses" and would cater for between 20-40 students in each "house".

Students would have communal facilities and the townhouses have been located at the Willis Street site and adjacent to the new library building.

Professor Black said the provisions for student accommodation would house all the existing accommodation at Newnham.