[4] This alternative was not approved by county council, which meant the Fine Gael-led government was obliged to pass an Act of the Oireachtas to effect it.
Areas transferred from the county to the city are (clockwise from the south east): Rochestown, Douglas, Grange, Donnybrook, Frankfield, Cork Airport, Togher, Ballincollig, Kerry Pike, Tower, Blarney, Killeens, Ballyvolane, White's Cross, and Glanmire.
[5] Adjacent areas remaining in the county are (clockwise from the south east): Passage West, Carrigaline, Ballygarvan, Waterfall, Ballinora, Killumney, Ovens, Inniscarra, Cloghroe, Matehy, Monard, Knockraha, Glounthaune, and Little Island.
[14] The minority report recommended that the city boundary be extended to the satellite towns of Ballincollig, Blarney, Carrigtwohill, and Carrigaline, but not Midleton or Cobh.
[17][3][18] A specially convened meeting of the city council on 22 September 2015 resolved by 29 votes to none to seek a judicial review in the High Court of the proposal's constitutionality, and to write to the Taoiseach and minister demanding a halt to the process.
[3] The Cork branch of IBEC made a submission in favour of retaining separate councils but subsequently endorsed the majority report, denying this was a U-turn.
[28] In a February 2016 debate before the general election, eight of nine Cork candidates were opposed to the merger, with Fine Gael's Dara Murphy saying "It has been too divisive.
[31] Early in 2016, the Cork report was considered by the government's Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform, along with another recommending merging Galway City and County.
[35] Unlike the original committee, the review group's terms referred to the city's "strategic role" as a "regional and national growth centre".
[4][39] The report provided for the city boundary to be extended to include Little Island, Cork Airport, Ballincollig, Blarney, and Carrigtwohill, adding a population of over 100,000.
[4] Under the plan, places further from the city would remain part of the county, including Cobh, Carrigaline, and Midleton, as well as Ringaskiddy, the centre of the Port of Cork.
[42] Barry Roche of The Irish Times wrote that the Mackinnon Report "has proven almost as divisive as its predecessor", except with the city and county councils' positions reversed.
[44] Its terms of reference included planning and overseeing the implementation of the expert advisory group's report, but also adjusting the boundary delineation.
[44] The IOG facilitated discussions between the chief executives of the two councils, who reached an agreement in December on a compromise whereby the city would be extended to include Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, and Cork Airport, but not Little Island or Carrigtwohill.